


i believe you are a shooting star

by socks_oda



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adopted Children, Angst, Dadza, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, No Beta We Die Like Wilbur in Skyblockle, Panic Attacks, Sleepyboisinc - Freeform, Technoblade Hears Voices (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade-centric (Video Blogging RPF), confusing on purpose, half-piglin techno, reincarnation kinda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 44,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27389560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/socks_oda/pseuds/socks_oda
Summary: Techno always knew he had been different from the creatures around him. He was an outcast, not particularly accepted by anyone. He was no blaze, no wither skeleton, no strider, no hoglin, no Piglin.He’d been alone as long as he could remember. Left, abandoned near a Nether Fortress for the wither skeletons to kill him. Somehow, he managed to survive. He didn’t know how, but that was behind him now. Techno never stayed in one place for a home, he was always moving around so he wouldn’t be kicked out or killed.He had learned how to fend for himself. The Nether was a harsh place, the creatures living there even more harsh.Traveling into the Overworld, he learns new things. About himself, and about the people before him.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Technoblade
Comments: 234
Kudos: 1924





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw- near death experience

Techno always knew he had been different from the creatures around him. He was an outcast, not particularly accepted by anyone.

He was no blaze, no wither skeleton, no strider, no hoglin, no Piglin. He supposed he most identified as a Piglin, but he knew he wasn’t. They didn’t accept him.

He’d been alone as long as he could remember. Left, abandoned near a Nether Fortress for the wither skeletons to kill him. Somehow, he managed to survive. He didn’t know how, but that was behind him now. Techno never stayed in one place for a home, he was always moving around so he wouldn’t be kicked out or killed.

He had learned how to fend for himself. The Nether was a harsh place, the creatures living there even more harsh. Ghasts had no feelings; they’d kill him on the spot.

He had stayed near a village of Piglins for a while and had even made a few friends. He supposed they were his friends, at least. They treated him decently unlike the other Piglins that he had been around. He learned how to communicate with them, with their weird language of grunting and snorts. It hurt him to do it after a while, and he supposed it was because he wasn’t like them.

Techno was built differently than them, apart from a few similar features. He was smaller than them, they were usually pretty big. Even the children. He had a thin figure, with more thinner features. A thin nose unlike the snouts the Piglins had. His hands were clawed, but they were not Piglin hands. The closest features he had to the Piglins was his ears, which he tried to have stick out the most he could from his hair, which had grown a considerable length and had split ends, and his legs. They were built similar with hooves, but that seemed to be the only other defining feature. He usually wore old boots anyway, since he couldn’t handle the heat of the Nether floor.

That was another difference between him and the Piglins. He couldn’t handle the heat as well as they could, even after living there his entire life. There were times he had even passed out from the heat. He knew he wasn’t built to survive in the Nether, but why was he here then?

That’s why he had been planning on leaving this dimension.

He had tales from his Piglin friends about there being multiple dimensions, but they excused it as just tales they would tell little Piglins to entertain them. Techno had thought about it for a while and had travelled to the library. He wasn’t the best at reading, nor did the librarian particularly like him, but his curiosity fueled him.

He had stolen a few books that seemed to match the descriptions of the portals and new dimensions that he had heard about. He was small and quick, so of course he got away with it. Naturally sneaky.

Techno had gone to the markets with his small backpack, bargaining for food for his journey. Pleading to the older Piglins, who didn’t feel any sympathy for him. Well, guilt-tripping them wasn’t going to work.

_ I could just steal again. If this works, I won’t come back anyway, he thought, trying to justify himself. _

It was good enough for him.

Techno walked around the markets, trying to ignore the suspicious stares he was getting from the Piglins around him. His priority right now was trying to find food, then a weapon, then get out as quickly as he could. He already knew he was being watched carefully to make sure he wouldn’t do anything.

Piglins were greedy creatures, he knew that. He was greedy, too. They loved gold, they loved to show it off to anyone they meant. The more gold you had, the more you would be respected. That’s just how it worked.

Even the most poor Piglins had gold, gold was everywhere.

Techno had his fair share he had found (permanently borrowed) and would use that to his advantage.

He walked up to one of the stands and stood as tall as he could. He blinked and stared at the adult Piglin, who narrowed its eyes. Techno pointed to the food it was selling and took off his backpack, fishing out a few nuggets of gold.

He wanted to save as much as he could, so he tried bargaining with the Piglin. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out, so he spent this handful of gold nuggets for a decent supply of food for himself. He nodded towards the adult piglin and walked away from this stand.

Little Piglins were running about the market, maybe a bit younger than him. They looked so happy and free. Their mother and father followed after them, sticking close together and holding their own food in baskets. Techno had to admit he was jealous. He never had a family to call his own.

Techno searched around the market until he found a blacksmith, who was a bit surprised to see such a young child wanting a sword. It wasn’t unusual for Piglins to begin training at a young age, but they never started out with gold swords. 

A gold sword was all that Techno could strive for at the moment. He couldn’t even afford it, much less netherite. Netherite was incredibly rare.

He asked the blacksmith to see a gold sword, and the blacksmith reluctantly agreed, handing it over to Techno. He looked at the Piglin and gave an almost mischievous grin, moving to make it seem like he was going to reach into his back to pay, but instead, made a run for it, listening to the surprised squeal behind him.

Luckily for him, Piglins were rather slow, but incredibly strong. He took this into account when planning his trip. As long as he could run fast and for a while, he would be in the clear.

So that’s what he did.

Technoblade ran as fast as he could, the adrenaline powering him further so. He ducked his head past the guards in front of the market and kept going. He made sure to look around and be aware of his surroundings, since the terrain of the Nether was wild and unpredictable. At any moment, he could fall through a hole and right into the lava.

He was careful, but still maintained his speed until he looked back and couldn’t see any Piglins behind him. Techno stopped running, but still walked quickly just in case they were still after him. He couldn’t risk it. 

Regaining his breath was the hardest part. He heaved in and out, looking around worriedly. He couldn’t rest until he was far enough away from the marketplace and village. Going into the depths of the Nether was terrifying, but he had the glimmer of hope that he’d be able to leave this place.

After about an hour of walking, Techno finally sat down on the ground. He let out a breath and told himself to relax. So much had happened so quickly. He took off his backpack and took out the books. He opened it to a random page and was surprised to find a folded piece of paper fall out of it.

Techno picked it up and unfolded it, and was greeted with a map on one side. It seemed to be scribbled in quickly, but it was good enough for Techno. It showed the Piglin village and then winding paths towards a new destination he hadn’t been to before with writing on it. He frowned and turned it over to see a note written on the back; one in a language unfamiliar to him, and then the runes of the Piglin’s written language, which he could understand well. It gave detailed descriptions of the way to the portal that would lead him into this new dimension.

Why would the library have this? Anyone could have gotten their hands on this.

_Well, no matter,_ he thought. _It’s mine now, and it’s my ticket out of here._

Techno’s legs were sore, but he had a newfound energy after seeing the map and the note describing the way to get there. He stayed on the ground for a while, skimming through the books again to try and give himself an idea of what this new dimension was like. He ate a small amount of the food he had bought to give him energy as well. He knew to save most of it for his journey, and what food would there be in this new world?

The next few days were filled with walking, running and hiding. Constantly moving and hardly getting a wink of sleep. There were times he’d see Piglins around and immediately hide out of sheer fear that they were the Piglins from the village marketplace. Luckily, he was never found out. He never expected the absolute terrors the Nether had to offer. Sure, he had experienced it before, but he spent most of his life hiding out in the Piglin village, which was guarded heavily by large, strong Piglins. Out here, there was no such security.

Magma cubes weren’t too big of a deal for him, unless they were the big ones, then he would hide. The smaller ones he could easily take out with his sword. Some didn’t even try to bother him. 

Ghasts were scary as well, but he learned that he could deflect back the fireballs with his sword and definitely used that to his advantage against them. They were pretty fragile against their own weapons. 

What scared him the most was the Hoglins. They were extremely aggressive towards him and would often have to run away from them and hide instead of fighting. Hoglins, similar to Piglins, were slow but their slowness made up in their sheer amount of strength. 

He wouldn’t even bother trying to fight one.

Whenever he got too tired to continue walking, or knew he was going to pass out from the heat again, he would board himself up in the netherrack, hoping it was enough to protect him from the creatures of the Nether. He would try to sleep a bit, then climb out and begin travelling once more.

Now, he was finally at the portal. It matched the description that had been in one of the books, except without the strange purple haze it was always depicted with. There was a chest next to the portal, so Techno opened it. There was nothing in it. He frowned and looked back in his book. There were items you were supposed to use to light the portal, flint and steel. He would have to use that to light a fire, which then would light the portal itself.

He stood up and began to wander around until he found a ghast, then a plan came to mind. A brilliant plan, he had to admit. 

Techno shouted for the ghast, and it began to follow him, which was exactly what he wanted. He ran towards the portal with the ghast in the air behind him. If he was right, the fireball the ghast shot would be able to light the portal and allow him through.

He gasped for air and stood in the portal frame and waited a moment for the ghast to charge up its fireball. It cried out and shot the fireball, so Techno backed up and out of the way, shielding his face from the blast.

The portal now had a purple haze curling around the frame and connecting together in the middle. Techno had no time to admire the color, so he grabbed his things and jumped in the portal. Immediately, he was met with a darkness and a new feeling. He was cold, his body was extremely cold. He had never felt this before, it was shocking.

A few moments later he was met with a bright light and he fell out onto the new ground in front of him.

Technoblade opened his eyes and gasped when he saw the ground. It was much different from the ground in the Nether; it was much softer and brighter. It was a color he hadn’t seen very often, besides in the warped forests. It was a green color, but a more deep and rich color.

Techno laughed and pressed his hands into the ground, taking in this new feeling. The feelings all around him. It was dark, but that was what he expected. It was naturally dark in the Nether, besides from the fires and lava lighting up the place. When Techno looked up, he saw a large bright crescent shape in the sky that seemed to glow, as well as smaller, but still bright, little dots in the sky. He read in the book that that was the moon. What he was sitting on right now was grass and dirt. It was so unusual to him. 

Techno stood up and grabbed his backpack, shivering a bit at the feeling of coldness. It wasn’t as cold as the portal had been, but it was still very strange to him. He didn’t know if he liked it or not. At least, it was better than the terrible heat in the Nether.

Before he could get far, though, he heard a hiss behind him. He was too slow, however, and shied away as an explosion happened. When he peeked out again, the portal was broken now, there was no purple haze.

_What was that_? He frowned and stood up again, looking around nervously. He began to walk. This place was similar to the warped forests in the Nether, but all the more lush and lively, or at least, what he knew to be lush and lively. 

There were groans nearby, which only made Techno more nervous. Were the creatures here stronger than the Nether? Would he die as soon as he got here?

_ Is there any civilization here? _

He heard another hiss and quickly ran forward, grabbing his sword and looking at the creature in front of him. It was fairly large, a somewhat bigger than he was, and was green, a color he wasn’t very familiar with. The browns of the trees in the forest he wasn’t very familiar with, either, but the green colors seemed to make him less anxious.

Apart from the monster in front of him.

It was shaped strangely; four little legs with claws at the end, and a long, almost rectangular body with a big head and dead eyes. It was intimidating, to say the least. He assumed this was the same creature that broke the portal, so he wanted to maintain a distance from it. 

Techno walked backwards nervously, but only bumped into another figure, making him shout in surprise. There was a loud groan as he bumped into the figure. Techno spun around quickly to see the figure of a creature that seemed almost similar to him. Its skin had a green tint and looked pale and dead. There were many cuts, scars, and bruises on its skin. Its face was what terrified Techno the most. Empty eye sockets with blood dripping out of them and its jaw unhinged.

Techno whimpered in fear, hearing the hiss again of the other creature as it came closer to Techno and the dead creature.

He ducked down to avoid the dead creature trying to hit him, but he wasn’t able to move out of the way quick enough from the green creature as it exploded, harming both Techno and the dead creature in the process.

He leaned against a tree and heaved out a breath, pain shooting throughout his body. All he wanted was to lie down and rest, but he couldn’t do this now. Before he was able to recover, the dead creature was already on him and began to try and attack him.

It was slow, yes, but Techno was hurt and weakened, he could hardly fight back against it. He gripped the hilt of his sword and swung blindly, hoping at least one of his attacks would hit and take out the creature. After a moment of flailing about while the monster tried to bite his neck, it finally was defeated and dissipated into ash.

Techno slid down and sat against the tree, heaving in and out. _I’m so young,_ he thought, _I can’t die here. I can’t die yet. I’ve survived so much worse in the Nether, and now, now I can’t even stand up to two monsters._

He heard more groans and the clacking of bones nearby. The whizzing of an arrow shooting through the air nearby. There were more of the dead creatures coming out of the forest, as well as live skeletons with bows and arrows. One shot at Techno, an arrow lodging itself in his shoulder. It had particles swirling about and he immediately felt the effects of nausea and pure pain.

_This must be my fate,_ he thought dramatically. _What a boring way to go out._

He closed his eyes, but he felt no more pain than he already felt. There was shouting amongst the groans and clacking until it was mostly quiet except for Technoblade’s own breaths and a new voice.

“Are you okay?” A voice said. Techno opened his eyes to see a tall man in front of him, knelt down and holding out his hand in front of Techno. All he could do was stare back at the man, studying his features. Shaggy, almost unkempt hair that stopped around his chin, as well as slight stubble. A green and white striped bucket hat lay on top of his head. 

Techno didn’t respond to the man, for he didn’t understand what the man was saying. He had never heard this language being spoken before, but he was used to the grunts and snorts of the Piglins. 

The man frowned, looking at his own hand with his blue eyes that were laced with concern for the half-dead boy in front of him. Techno assumed this man wanted to help, but couldn’t find the energy to even try to move. The effects of the arrow-- whatever it had been-- had taken very quickly and Techno could feel himself begin to lose his consciousness. He couldn’t feel his fingers.

The man in the bucket hat carefully reached around and picked up Techno, then stood up from the ground and began to walk swiftly. Techno had no choice but to lean against the man, hoping for the best. He was shivering, but he couldn’t tell if it was from the colder air, the fear, the effects of the arrow, or all three. He heaved into the air, feeling bile in his throat.

The man carried him through the forest until they arrived at a small cottage. He brought Techno inside and set him down on the couch, then left for a moment. Techno watched him go and then closed his eyes, trying to think of something different to distract himself from the pain, but was unable to comfort himself.

The man came back a moment later, holding a vial in his hand, as well a dampened cloth and bandages in the other. He knelt in front of Techno and wrapped his hand around the shaft of the arrow. “Come on, kid,” he mumbled through gritted teeth. “Stay awake for me.” Not that he knew Techno didn’t understand his words.

He put one hand on Techno’s chest and pulled the arrow out of Techno’s shoulder slowly, which caused his eyes to shoot open and scream out in pain. It was heart-breaking to hear a child in so much pain. The man tossed aside the arrow and pressed the cloth against it. With his other hand, he reached and grabbed the vial, pressing it against Techno’s lips.

The boy panted, still in shock from the pain and opened his mouth so the man could pour the contents of the bottle in his mouth. He could feel the pain begin to dull.

The man pulled the cloth away, reaching for the bandages and beginning to wrap Techno’s shoulder where the arrow had pierced him.   
  


Techno felt his head loll back and he now realized how exhausted he was. He closed his eyes and promptly passed out, much to the man’s dismay.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> phil helps techno recover from his near-death experience. then, they go to the local village, and techno makes a friend (:

When Technoblade awoke, he was in a different area of the cottage, he guessed. A much more comfortable space, more comfortable than anything he’s ever felt. He didn’t want to get up.

“Oh, good, you’re awake.” Techno looked over at the voice and saw the man with the striped bucket hat. He blinked in confusion, unsure of what the man was saying. The man seemed to notice Techno’s confusion and thought for a moment, trying to figure out how he should communicate with the boy.

The bucket hat man placed a hand on his chest. “Phil, Philza,” he said and gestured to himself again. Techno assumed that was his name and nodded. 

Techno sat up slowly, feeling a sharp pain in his shoulder and he hissed. He looked around the room, seeing his sword sitting against the windowsill. He pointed to it, so Phil got up and retrieved it, giving it to Techno.

Techno pointed to the blade of the sword, then to himself. He did this again to make sure Phil understood what he was trying to say.

“Blade?”

Close enough.

Techno nodded. There seemed to be a few similarities in Piglin language and Phil’s language. Piglin language seemed to be vaguely like Phil’s language, though it wasn’t pronouncing the words. More of making the sounds to convey the words.

“Right, your name is Blade. I like that.” Phil smiled. “Do you understand what I am saying?”

Techno stared at the man blankly, not moving from where he was comfortably seated.

“I’ll take that as a no.” Phil frowned and rubbed the stubble on his chin.

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, unsure how to communicate with each other and get more basic knowledge on each other. Then, Techno had an idea. He pointed to his bag, which had been near the windowsill along with his sword. He made a noise to indicate that he wanted it brought over to him.

Phil got up again and grabbed the bag, handing it to Techno, who opened it and took out one of the books. Phil raised an eyebrow, then grinned at Techno.

Techno pointed to the book, more specifically at the runes, then to himself. Phil took this as this being Techno’s language that he knew.

Luckily for the both of them, communicating was going to be a lot easier. Phil grabbed a pen and paper from the nearby desk and began to write on the paper. He had been studying books about the Nether, and different characteristics of the creatures there. He had been most interested in Piglins and their literature and lifestyle, so he took it upon himself to learn more. The library at the nearby village had many books on the Nether so it had entertained him and educated him immensely. Sure, he may be a bit rusty, but it was better than how they had been going up until now.

Of course, it wouldn’t translate easily to runes. Phil was unable to learn how Piglins spoke vocally, especially since they were pig creatures and the snorts and grunts were how they were able to communicate. At the least, he could read and write their language, which was comprised of runes somewhat similar to English.

He finished writing and handed the pen and paper to Techno, who looked down at the note that Phil wrote.

‘ _My name is Philza, people call me Phil. I studied your language and can write it. We can talk this way now. Tell me about you. Age?’_

There were mistakes here and there, but it was simple to understand, so Techno began to write a response to Phil. His handwriting wasn’t the best, but he hoped Phil understood. He handed it back over to the man and watched him impatiently.

_ ‘Nine years. I think. I don’t remember when my birthday is. I could be eight.’ _

Phil nodded, wrote another quick response, then handed it back to Techno.

_ ‘Are you hungry?’ _

_ ‘Yes.’ _

Phil nodded once more and stood up, holding up a finger to Techno and then leaving the room. He closed the door behind him and let out a breath. He relaxed his shoulders and went towards his kitchen area.

Now, he had a young boy (creature? He was not entirely human, that Phil knew) to take care of.

He hadn’t had his own child before, but the thought had come to him a few times before. He didn’t even have a significant other, yet, he had no idea he would take in a child before that. No matter his worries, he couldn’t have left Blade in the forest by himself. He would have been killed by that poison arrow or eaten alive by zombies. Neither were good ways to go out.

It brought up another question in his head: how did an ordinary skeleton gain access to poison dipped arrows? They were not very intelligent creatures, so it likely couldn’t have made it itself. That was to think about another time. Now, he had to worry about making sure Blade was well.

He assumed that Blade was from the Nether, seeing as how he wrote in the language Piglins wrote in, and the broken portal frame in the middle of the forest. Phil had been woken up in the middle of the night by hearing the explosions in the distance and knew he had to check on what was happening, since there weren’t many creeper explosions when a human wasn’t near. 

Blade was strange, Phil knew this from the start. He wasn’t entirely Piglin, but he wasn’t completely human either. He was some strange mix. How had that happened? How had a mostly, seemingly human, creature survived in the Nether for so long?

It begged his most urgent thought. What did Blade eat? He hadn’t bothered to ask, and didn’t want to go through Blade’s things to see if he had food and what food he had.

Phil searched for anything he figured that Blade might like. He stumbled upon some raw pork chops and made a face.

That would just be cruel.

He put that down and thought for a moment. The kid wrote in the Piglins language, seemed to speak like them, and had features of Piglins. Phil had no idea what Piglins ate, but he assumed it was similar to what pigs ate. Right?

Phil hummed to himself as he grabbed a tray and searched his cabinet. He had worked with the nearby village on taking care of and breeding pigs, as well as other livestock, since they had been struggling on keeping their farms going. He had fed them potatoes, carrots, apples, some fish, and flowers. He figured Blade would probably want cooked potatoes, so he put a few in the furnace, as well as some fish. He grabbed an apple from the table and waited for the items to cook.

Once they were done cooking, Phill took them out and onto the tray, then went back to the room Blade was staying in. It was just a guest room he had recently finished in case he ever had to have someone stay in his home. Now he had a young kid in his guest room.

He opened the door to Blade’s room and looked at the kid, who had a book in his clawed hands and was skimming through it. This book was in the same runes from earlier, so he assumed this was a book that Blade brought with him. He looked up when the door opened and stared at the food on the tray with his red eyes.

Phil pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Blade, handing him the tray. He pointed to the apple. “Apple,” he said.

Blade watched Phil and mouthed ‘apple’, then tried to pronounce it. His voice was rough from disuse, though this way of speaking felt more natural than how Piglins spoke to each other. “A..pple..”

Phil smiled proudly, then pointed to the fish. “Fish,” he said.

“Fish,” Blade repeated and poked at it. He had a look on his face, like he was a bit grossed out by it. He took a bite of it, then spit it out back onto the tray.

Phil hummed, then pointed to the baked potato. “Potato,” he said slowly. “Baked potato.”

Blade picked at the potato and stayed still for a moment. “Po..ta...to,” he finally said, sounding out each syllable. He took a bite of it and smiled, a good sign. He looked toward Phil and gave a thumbs up.

Phil smiled and waited for Blade to finish eating his food, looking towards the book next to Blade. It’s cover was leather with a title etched into it, but it was hard to make out what exactly it said.

When Blade finished eating (half of the apple, no more of the fish, and the whole potato), he grabbed the paper and pen, writing on it then poking Phil’s shoulder to get his attention.

Phil took the paper and looked at the newest message among the scribbled runes and little doodles Technoblade had made.

_ ‘Teach me your language?’ _

Phil looked over to Blade, who watched him with wide, curious eyes. He smiled and nodded.

He assumed the boy would be here for a while.

Over the next few weeks, Techno would study Phil’s language. He quickly picked up on it, and was able to say a few simple sentences and understand some of what Phil was saying. Still, when they needed to communicate on more important topics, they would write on paper like they had started out, but Techno wanted to be challenged.

Phil had gone to the nearby village, as he usually does in the day, to get books from the library on the languages. According to Phil’s research, Piglin runes are the same runes used by builders hundreds of years ago. This brought many questions into his head, but those would need to be researched some other time. He found a few books, mostly books for young children first learning how to read.

Needless to say, Phil was very proud of Blade’s progress he had made in just a few weeks.

Phil knocked on the door to the guest room, where Blade had continued to stay while he was recovering and, now, learning. He was in desperate need of new clothes; new clothes that would suit the colder weather much better than what he had now. Poor boy had a blanket around him almost constantly, obviously not adjusted to the new weather yet.

“We’re going to the village today to get you new clothes.”

Blade nodded. “Okay.” 

Phil helped him up from the ground and went through the closet and pulled out a cloak, then put it on Techno. “Wear this.” He put the hood up, then tied the strings to the cloak. “It’ll keep you warm.”

Techno, understanding the sentence, nodding. Phil smiled, extremely proud of the kid’s progress.

Phil held out his hand and Techno grabbed onto it, then they walked out of the house together. “Let’s go, Blade.”

Techno shivered a bit at the gust of wind and stepped closer to Phil. He was silent for a moment until he finally spoke up. “Tech...noblade,” he murmured.

Phil looked over at the boy. “Hm?”

“My name.” Techno looked up at Phil. He was definitely a strange kid, to say the least. Phil didn’t know too much about him yet, all he knew was that he must have had to come from the Nether. What even was he? He surely wasn’t entirely human, but not entirely Piglin either. He shared a few physical features of pigs, as well as some of the common traits of Piglins. “It’s Technoblade.”

“Ah.” Phil rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Can I call you Techno?”

He took a moment to register the sentence, then nodded to Phil. So then, the two set off towards the village.

It wasn’t very far at all; only around a ten minute walk to get there, even faster by horse. Phil figured that walking would be better, perhaps a bonding moment? He wanted Techno to trust him, to feel comfortable with him. He could tell that Techno was a bit nervous, even if he didn’t show it and hid it behind a neutral expression. 

Phil wasn’t sure how long Techno would stay with him, but he assumed it would be for a little while until he’s able to fend for himself against the Overworld creatures. Phil had thoughts about kids before, but didn’t think that this would be his introduction to parenthood.

He looked down at the boy, who stared ahead, seeming to be focused on one of the bees buzzing through the air. 

Another thing Phil had to consider: how would people react to Techno? Creatures like him weren’t very common to see, less likely to be accepted into the social norm. Phil made sure the hood of the cloak hid Techno’s floppy pig ears, just to ensure his safety. He had to admit that he was a bit nervous taking Techno into the village, but he needed to give the tailor his measurements for new clothing.

Techno pointed to the bee. “What?”

“It’s a bee.” Phil looked over at the insect, which had come over and was buzzing around Techno’s face. “Don’t hit it; it might sting you.”

“Sting?” Techno moved his head away from the bee, but kept his eyes fixated on it.

“It has a stinger. If you look closely, you might see it. It can hurt you, so we call it a sting because of its stinger.”

Techno made a noise of understanding and then continued to walk, now in silence once again. He wasn’t much for making small talk, or even conversing at all. He was fairly quiet.

After a few more minutes, they arrived at the village. It was a larger village with a decently nice community, apart from a few bad apples that tainted the village’s reputation. Since Phil had built his cottage just outside the community, he was pretty well known. He’d help out the villagers with their crops and livestock, since he had experience from living by himself. He had even been offered a few times to have a home in the community, but he politely declined.

“Philza, it’s so nice to see you back in town,” a familiar villager said, coming over and grinning at Phil, clapping him on the shoulder. He was sweaty, likely having been harvesting crops out in the fields.

“Hello, Pat.” 

Techno looked up and watched the both of them, narrowing his eyes. Phil could feel himself begin to get nervous, having second doubts about bringing Techno with him. “Hullo,” the boy said after a moment.

Pat looked down at Techno and waved at him. “Who’s this kid?”

“He’s staying with me for the time being. Go on, introduce yourself,” Phil said, smiling slightly.

“M’name’s Technoblade,” he said, slowly moving backwards and seeming a bit intimidated by another human. He wasn’t used to seeing people like him (or, at least, similar enough to him). “Uh….” He looked to Phil for guidance on what to say, but was disappointed when Phil only gave him a thumbs up.

The three of them stood in an awkward silence for a moment before Pat gave a small, uneasy laugh. “Well, I best be off to finish in the fields. Crops won’t harvest themselves, you know?”

Phil nodded. “Of course, we’ll be on our way. It was nice speaking to you.”

And with that, Pat walked back in the direction he came from, picking up a basket and a hoe he had set down before he walked over. The two watched Pat walk away before Phil began to walk again, prompting Techno to follow after him.

Techno pulled on Phil’s sleeve to get his attention, though they both continued to walk at a slow pace. “Who’s that?”

“He’s just a friend who lives in the village. He’s been here since he was a kid and lives with his best friend. I’m surprised she wasn’t with him today.” Phil shrugged, indifferent.

Techno just nodded, a little lost as to what Phil was saying.

The village seemed pretty busy today, but kept it’s calm atmosphere it almost always had. Children chasing each other along the stone path and playing some sort of game. A plethora of villagers talking outside of their houses and trading items with each other. Some were tending their gardens, some setting up their shops, some sharpening weapons, and some returning from the fields with baskets of a variety of crops to feed their families with. Stray cats sitting on top of crates or waiting at the docks for some fisherman to feed them. 

It was a gorgeous, lush place overall, bursting with life at every corner.

Phil stopped outside of the tailor shop and rapped his knuckles against the door, then stepped back and waited for the tailor to answer, who let him and Techno inside.

Phil wasn’t very familiar with her; he didn’t even know her name, but she was friendly towards them and took Techno’s measurements without much trouble. The kid squirmed a bit, obviously uncomfortable with someone so near him. 

She and Phil made small talk, then they went to the back to discuss clothing that would best suit Techno. He sat down in a chair and waited impatiently for Phil to come back. There wasn’t much to look at in this area, so nothing much to keep him distracted.

Techno looked up when the front door opened, a boy around his age walking in with an air of confidence and cockiness around him. Techno made a face.

The boy had lighter brown hair with freckles dotting his face, as well as green eyes similar to the leaves of the trees. He wore a desaturated green tunic with a belt, as well as baggy brown pants and boots. He looked over at Techno and raised an eyebrow. “Whoah, your hair is pink…”

Techno blinked and then looked away awkwardly. “Yes..”

“How is it pink? Did ya dye it? How did you dye it?”

Techno said nothing, extremely confused by what the boy was saying. What did he mean by ‘dying’? As far as Techno was concerned, his hair was healthy and alive (apart from the split ends and overall rattiness...Phil had been trying to convince Techno that brushing his hair was good and would help it. It would be a while before he would be able to cut Techno’s hair, if he ever trusted Phil enough for that) and was not dying. Was it not normal for Overworld creatures to have pink hair?

The boy snapped his fingers in front of Techno’s space. “Don’t ignore me!”

Technoblade knew this boy was going to just continually get on his nerves. He looked towards the other door, praying that Phil would come back sooner than later. 

The boy huffed and sat down in the chair next to Techno’s, then stuck out his hand for him to shake. Techno just stared at him, confused by the gesture. “My name’s Dream,” the boy said, eventually pulling his hand away when Techno didn’t shake it. “And you?”

This was a question Techno could answer. “Technoblade,” he said, scooting away slightly from Dream. Who did this boy think he was? Why was he here in the first place?

Dream grinned. “That’s such a cool name! And I thought Dream was a pretty cool name but...wow! Technoblade!”

Technoblade stared for a moment and then slowly nodded, not entirely understanding him.

Dream tilted his head. “You look confused?”

“I don’t speak good,” Techno murmured.

“Huh..? Oh! Are you learning English?”

Techno nodded and played with the strings on his cloak, looking away from the kid. All he wanted was for Phil to come back and to go home; he didn’t want to embarrass himself more than he already had. It didn’t seem like the kid would leave him alone anytime soon.

“How old are you?” Dream asked, trying to keep the conversation going by just having small talk, which Techno hated.

Still, he didn’t want to be anymore rude than he had been. “Nine,” Techno answered. He glanced towards the door again, but there was no Phil yet.

“Oh! Me too,” Dream grinned. “My birthday was just a few weeks ago! On the twelfth, actually. When is your birthday?”

“Uh….” Techno stopped and stared dumbly once more. He still did not have an understanding of a day and night cycle, so how was he supposed to know what day it was? Phil mentioned months and days and dates, but Techno had yet to understand. The Nether didn’t have “day” or “night”.

Luckily for him, the door opened and Phil walked out with the woman from earlier. He arched an eyebrow seeing Techno with some random boy and looking mildly uncomfortable, but they both knew he was much more than he would show. Dream jumped up from the chair and went over to the lady, then looked back at Techno and Phil going towards the other door to leave the tailor shop. 

Dream grinned happily and waved. “Bye, Technoblade!”

Techno glanced back and gave a small wave, then quickly walked out of the shop with Phil. The two of them were quiet for a few moments as they walked to the marketplace to buy some food for their dinners. It reminded him of the marketplace at home, but all the more friendlier. He assumed he wouldn’t have to steal from this one.

Phil traded a shiny gem that Techno didn’t know the name of to one of the villagers, and the villager handed him a basket filled with goods, covered by a piece of checkered fabric. Then, they began the trip home.

The sun was beginning to ‘set’, as Phil had said before. The sky was an orange-pink color, very lovely to see.

“Have you made a friend?” Phil asked as they walked, moving the piece of fabric from the basket and handing Techno a small piece of bread to snack on while they walked.

Techno nibbled at it and thought. “I guess so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes i am adding mcyts i used to watch when i was younger as side characters what about it?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> techno wants to become a warrior.

Phil hadn’t thought much about the idea of having kids before. Yes, he may be a grown adult and people his age were usually beginning to think about settling down and starting a family, but he didn’t particularly like the idea all that much. He was more focused on simply surviving in this world, never staying in one place for a long time. His home now was the longest he had stayed in once place, since he was constantly travelling. He had been here for about a year now and did have thoughts about travelling again many times.

Now, with this child staying with him, he figured that moving again probably wasn’t a good idea for either of them, especially the child. Techno was still learning the ways of the Overworld (which he had been picking up on fairly quickly) and would likely be distressed if they were to move around while he was still trying to get at least decently accustomed.

Techno wanted to explore the forest; he had expressed this before to Phil, but they both knew that it wouldn’t be a good idea. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was scared.

In fact, he was terrified.

This new world had so much more to offer, yet there was so much more to fear all the same. The plethora of monsters that came out at night were dangerous and hard to fight against, not to mention how terrifying they looked. Usually with dead and blank looking eyes, jutted out bones and claws alike. The jumbled sounding speech of the endermen was what scared him the most. 

It gave him a motivation to learn, to train, so he could protect himself and to protect Phil. Why had he gotten so attached already? He didn’t know, he hadn’t been like this with anyone else, but Phil seemed to be different. He vowed to keep Phil safe and looked up to him.

It had been a quiet night, just after the two had finished their supper and were going to settle down and eventually go to sleep soon. Phil was trying to get Techno on a sleep schedule familiar to the day and night cycle of the Overworld and not sleeping just whenever he was exhausted, since there was no such thing as a day and night cycle in the Nether. With this in mind, Phil was going to have him go lie down here soon, after he had finished reading one of his books. 

Techno had taken a liking to books, more books with less pictures and rather more words jumbled together. All this reading that he was doing was only aiding him in learning English more quickly, and he’d even try to read out loud to himself occasionally. 

He had been sitting by the fireplace, but the heat from the fire wasn’t enough to keep him warm, so he had a blanket draped over his shoulders to keep him warm and comfortable. The temperatures had been dropping quickly as the seasons began to change, another fascinating thing to Technoblade. The leaves had begun to change pretty colors and fall off of the trees.

Outside the window, there was a strange noise that he couldn’t identify. He and Phil both looked up when they heard it, an expression of alarm on Phil’s face.

Phil got up from where he was on the couch and peeked out the window, seeing the tall, pitch black figure out in the dark. It would be near impossible to see if it weren’t for the purple particles swirling about it and the bright purple eyes. He quickly closed the curtain with a sharp intake of his breath.

Techno watched, his expression a void of emotion, something Phil had begun to get used to by now.

“Stay here, don’t look out the windows,” Phil said sternly. “A very dangerous monster is out there.”

“Scarier than zombies?” Techno asked, but it was more of just a chance to boast his knowledge. He was scared of them, but he took it upon himself to try and read more about them so he could learn how to protect the two of them from all kinds of monsters.

“Scarier than zombies. Much scarier,” Phil replied, going over to an iron armor set on the wall, quickly equipping it and then grabbing his diamond sword. He was going to have to go diamond mining soon; his sword was close to breaking and he had yet to make a diamond pickaxe. He figured he could use it to mine obsidian so that he could fix the Nether portal, if Techno were to ever want to go back home.

Techno made an ‘o’ shape with his mouth and then looked back down at his book, though he did not continue to read it. He was nervous; he was scared for Phil.

Phil glanced over at Techno before he opened the door and shut it behind him. The outside of his cottage was well lit and fenced off, so no monsters were able to get inside. Well, apart from endermen and spiders, of course. Spiders were easy enough to take care of, but endermen were another story. Boasting high offensive abilities, they could quickly take you out even with full iron armor. It didn’t help that, with their teleporting abilities, they were hard to hit.

Phil kept his gaze low, not wanting to make eye contact with the endermen. He went over to the window where he had heard the sound, noticing the figure standing there with a large chunk of dirt in its stick-like hands that hardly grasped it. 

He stood still for a while, a few minutes, hoping the creature would just teleport away and leave the two alone, but it simply stood there and continued to make its disoriented noises. Having no other options, Phil started forward and swung his sword as the creature. Its peaceful facade was now broken and it let out a scream-like sound, dropping its clump of dirt in favor of attacking Phil.

Phil managed to get another two hits on it before it teleported away. He stood still, listening in close for the noises. When he heard it, he turned around and swiftly slashed at the enderman a few more times until it screeched and dissipated into ash, leaving only an ender pearl behind.

He kneeled down and picked it up. He only had one or two others in his possession, since they were quite rare to come upon. He was sure they were to be useful sometime.

Phil stood up and looked towards the window, seeing Techno’s pink hair peeking out and making him extremely noticeable. Phil frowned, and the tuft of pink hair disappeared.

He went back inside, closing the door and then turning towards Techno, his hands on his hips. “What did I say?”

“Not to look out there,” Techno murmured, watching Phil set down the diamond sword, which now had purple blood coating the blade. 

Phil took off his armor and then looked back over to Techno, expecting an apology.

It took a moment for Techno to understand why Phil was just standing there and waiting, but he finally understood and spoke again. “Can you teach me?”

Phil blinked. “What?”

“To fight.”

“You want to learn to fight?”

“Yes! Teach me!” Techno said excitedly, then quickly added, “please.”

Phil gave a half-smile. “I can only do that once you’re well-rested. I will teach you tomorrow.”

“Promise?” Techno stared at him with those scarily bright red eyes, pleading. Why was he so interested in learning to fight? Phil didn’t know.

“Of course. Go to bed, Techno.”

Technoblade sat on his bed, pulling on his boots. They were damaged, the soles near falling apart, but they were comfortable and broken in, plus, it was all he had. Phil had promised that once they went back to the village (which would be today after they finished training) he would buy some new boots for him. Techno wasn’t sure how to express his gratitude for Phil’s offer, for Phil’s behavior towards him in general.

Techno stood up and grabbed his own sword from the bedside table and glanced over at himself in the mirror that was set up in the room. The first thing he noticed about his appearance was how tired he looked; the bags under his eyes were very prominent. He’s always had trouble having a consistent sleeping schedule since time didn’t necessarily exist in the Nether, so he’d always go until he was sleepy or until he passed out from exhaustion. Phil hoped that Techno would develop a sleep schedule now that he was in a world with time, but the boy still didn’t sleep well. Some nights were better than others, but it seemed that his eye bags weren’t going to go away for a long time. 

His was much more nicer looking than it had been before, since Phil stressed the importance of taking care of his hair, and most importantly, himself. Techno didn’t want to admit it, but he was not the best at self care. Since Techno wouldn’t allow Phil to touch his hair yet, Phil had given him a hairbrush and told him to brush his hair everyday. It was extremely knotty when he first tried, causing tears of frustration and of pain from the privacy of his room. Phil had also given him a small band that he usually carried around his wrist. He called it a ‘hair tie’. Phil said that Techno could put his hair up with it, and suggested doing that for their small training session for today.

Techno set down his sword and gathered his hair in both hands, then pulled the hair tie over it and looped it another time like Phil had shown him. It was funny seeing Phil put his hair up, since it made a little nub ponytail. Techno’s ponytail was longer than Phil’s, since his hair stopped a bit below his shoulders. He looked at himself in the mirror, gave himself a small nod, then picked up his sword and walked out of the room.

He went out to the back of the house, where Phil said to meet him once he was ready. The backyard was very bare; a failed attempt at a garden withering away nearest to the house and unkempt grass. There were a few flowers scoured about here and there, but Phil was standing farther away in a fenced area with a mixture of sand and dirt.

Phil smiled at him. “Hey, kid. You ready?”

Techno nodded, a small smile on his face.

Techno would be lying if he hadn’t had fantasies about becoming a warrior; a hero of the lands and loved by all. Slaying any foul beast that stood in his way and saving villages. Perhaps this was the start of his bloodlust.

The Nether didn’t have any ‘heroes’. There were no ‘good guys’. In the Nether, it was either kill or be killed, survival of the fittest. There was hardly ever a moment of peace when bloodshed wasn’t happening.

Being in the Overworld, a much calmer place (at least, in the daytime), was something new to him. He didn’t have to fend off monsters at any corner trying to get lucky and kill the child for food.

Phil had told him about raiders in the Overworld, and how he was well known in the village for being the main protector against the raiders. This was new knowledge to Techno and made him look up to Phil even more.

While they were taking a small break from their training, a line of sweat dripped down Techno’s forehead as he sat down on the ground, Phil was beginning to tell a story. Techno was pushing himself to immediately get good, a mindset that probably wasn’t the best for him to have. He was just a scrawny kid, after all.

Listening to Phil speak about how he would constantly ward off raiders in his travels and be declared a hero in these villages....it was motivating. They praised him, lowered the prices of their trades, constantly thanking him. Techno wanted this. He wanted this lifestyle.

Lone, mysterious traveller protecting the innocent people from the terrible people that wanted to hurt them. They would idolize him and finally, _finally_ , he would be respected. He would be loved and accepted.

He decided this was what he wanted to do.

As they finished up their training for the day, Techno went up to Phil. Phil was cleaning the dirt off of his training sword (it’s not like he would use his diamond sword against a child still learning combat techniques) and humming a tune to himself. 

Techno pulled on Phil’s sleeve to get his attention. He looked down and smiled at the boy, then looked back at his blade, which glimmered in the light.

“I want to travel the world,” Techno said, a smile creeping on his lips. “I want to fight monsters, just like you did.”

“That’s a dangerous job, Techno.” Phil looked back over at him. “But I will gladly support you in what you want to do. Though, you shouldn’t worry about it too much yet. You’re still a kid.”

“I want to start training as early as I can!” Techno gripped his sword. He looked down at the blade, the light reflecting dully off of it with the dust and sand coating it. “I want to be a warrior, Phil.”   
  


Phil gave a wary smile, saying nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> possibly shorter chapters sorry about that! i’m trying to figure out where this story should go


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dream gets a chance to tell techno about the blood god, and the village festival.

Dream had been very curious about the new kid that the man in the striped bucket hat brought with him. He had seen the man with the striped bucket before in the village, but had never spoken to him before. Though, this was the first time he had ever seen the pink haired boy, Technoblade, and he had immediately been interested in learning more about the new boy. The bucket hat man had never brought the kid with him before.

Needless to say, Dream was very excited once the bucket hat man walked into the tailor shop with Technoblade trailing behind him. The boy looked uncomfortable, and seemed to tense slightly more once he saw Dream sitting in one of the chairs in the waiting room. Dream, having been an orphan himself, had been staying wherever he could when he was traveling. So far, he had stayed in this village the longest and the tailor had been nice enough to house him for a while.

Dream waved when he saw Techno, smiling his signature gapped tooth grin. Techno blinked and gave a small wave back, then sat down in one of the chairs when the bucket hat man went to talk with the tailor, presumably to get clothes.

“Hallo Technoblade!” Dream said and went to sit next to the pink haired boy, who leaned back in his seat.

“Hullo,” he mumbled, looking over at Dream.

“Why are you back again? Not that it’s a bad thing; it’s nice to have company. A friend, if you will. Are we friends?”

“Phil’s picking up my new clothes,” Techno said. His clawed hands fiddled with the strings on his red cloak. It was big on him, the hood drooping a bit over his bangs. “And umm...Are we friends?”

Dream hummed. “I’ll be honest with you and say I haven’t really had a friend before. I’ve been travelling for as long as I can remember and haven’t really...settled down. Except here, I guess. I’ve been here the longest but no one wants to play with me.” He frowned. “You’re being nice though! I would assume we’re friends.”

“You tend to ramble,” Techno mused and then gave a small smile. “Yeah, we’re friends…”

“Oh! Sorry if that annoys you, I just like to talk a lot.” Dream smiled his gapped tooth smile. “What do you say we go outside? It might take them a little bit to finish up, and Miss Lizzie will know where we are!”

Techno gave a small nod, albeit a bit hesitant. He wasn’t entirely sure if he should trust Dream or not yet, but he seemed nice enough. He wasn’t used to people being so nice to him.

Dream smiled and stood up, prompting Techno to stand up as well and follow him outside the tailor shop. The village seemed to be busy today, as it usually was, with the bustling of low conversations and bags being passed around. Dream walked along the streets, obviously knowing his way around the place. Unfortunately, Techno did not know his way around. A few times he almost lost Dream, so he tried to keep up with the boy.

“Why is it so busy today? Is it always like this everyday?” Techno hesitantly asked as Dream slowed down when he noticed Techno was falling behind.

“There’s going to be a festival here in the next few days,” Dream said. “A festival honoring our God. Well, the village’s God. I mean, most regions in our land believe in this God.”

Techno tilted his head. “A God?”

“You’re not from around here, are you?” Dream asked.

“Uh.” Techno blinked and looked at the cathedral in front of them that Dream had stopped in front of. “How did you know?”

“I just said, most people around here...in this world in general, believe in this God. I mean, of course there are going to be people who don’t. I personally don’t. I just assumed you weren’t since you hadn’t heard of him.”

Techno didn’t know much about religion, except for the few books he had stolen from the library in the Piglin village. It never particularly interested him too much, but it seemed to be useful knowledge to have. He stayed silent.

“Well, anyway. He’s called ‘ _The Blood God_ ’,” Dream said, then pointed to the cathedral. “People say their prayers and leave their offerings for him here. You want to know something interesting?”

Techno nodded.   
  


“I don’t know if this is true or not, but supposedly the royalty in the old kingdom-” right, Phil had mentioned that there was a kingdom nearby that the village had been a part of. You could see the old palace on the hills, but there weren't many people that lived there anymore. He figured he should ask Phil or Dream about it. “-were descendents of The Blood God. Isn’t that cool?”

Techno nodded again. “What do you know about him?”

Dream paused to think for a second. “Hm. Miss Lizzie has told me a few stories about him. He was a warrior during a Great War long ago, and apparently he was the strongest warrior out there!” he smiled. “He could take down a whole battalion with just his sword, a Netherite sword. You know how strong Netherite is, right?”

Techno nodded. Of course he did, he had seen Piglins with Netherite swords and axes. It was terrifying. Only the wealthiest Piglin has Netherite. “Stronger than diamonds.”

“Yeah! Miss Lizzie said he took down whole battalions with his sword. He was strong, and had been training all his life. He was an orphan, so he had to work everyday to provide for himself, as well as train so he could fight off all the bad guys that tried to hurt him. Ooh, here’s the juicy bit!”

Techno tilted his head, somewhat surprised on how interested he was in this story, since he hadn’t been much interested in legends before. He gave a nod, signalling Dream to continue talking.

“When he got to the village, our very village, the King recognized him almost immediately. Do you know why?”

Techno shook his head.

“He was the King’s long lost son!” Dream glanced back over at the cathedral. “He was the Prince, and had somehow wandered his way back to his father after all these years. The people had been searching for all these years, and they would hold festivals on his birthday, but since he returned, they were to celebrate him returning. After he helped win the war, these festivals continued, but also in remembrance of everyone who died that day and to thank him for helping our region win the war.”

“Was he really a God, then?”

“Everyone thought that he was, because of his incredible strength and willpower. He was dubbed ‘The Blood God’ because of that and was worshipped by his people.” Dream nodded. “These festivals happen every year, and people still worship him to this day. Interesting, huh?”

Techno nodded, eager to learn more, but he was interrupted before he could ask Dream to tell him more by the tailor’s voice.

“Ah! I assumed you were headed that way,” she said, Phil following close behind her.

“Oh, yeah! We were, but Techno wanted me to tell him stories about The Blood God,” Dream said and grinned. “I guess it’s too late to go there now, huh?”

Phil nodded. “Yes, we must be headed home by now. The sun will set soon and I’d rather not travel through the forest during nighttime.”

Dream slowly nodded and turned to Techno. “Okay! I’ll see you sometime soon?”

Techno nodded. “I can ask to come back here.”

Dream smiled. “Okay! I’ll see you then! I’ll probably be with Miss Lizzie these next few days helping her prepare for the festival. See you soon, Techno.”

Techno went over to Phil, gave a nod to Dream, and thus the two began their way home from the village. They made no stops at the marketplace this time, instead they went straight home.

Phil closed the door to the cottage and smiled at Techno. “Do you want to try your new clothes on?”

Techno nodded. “Mhm.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lizzie is LDshadowlady if you haven’t figured it out yet :)! i won’t add side characters to the tags
> 
> also sorry for the shorter chapters! i have a lot of other ideas i want to write and want to draw.  
> follow my instagram @socks_oda , since i am more active there. don’t be afraid to message me :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> techno finds a lost boy in need of shelter for the night.

It was another late night, and, as usual, Techno was unable to sleep. He’s always had trouble sleeping, but even with a comfortable and safe space, he still seemed to be having an unreasonable amount of trouble even  _ trying _ .

Phil had gone out for the night, taking his full set of iron armor and diamond sword. He told Techno he was going hunting for ‘ender pearls’, though Techno had yet to learn what those were. Phil had helped him get ready for bed and promised to be back in a few hours if he was still awake by then.

Now, Techno was sitting in the living room by the fireplace, which crackled when he moved the wood with the fire iron. He had a stack of children’s books sat next to him that he had been reading for a while, but was now occupied by watching the fire. The small crackling sounds were pleasant to listen to and the fire was mesmerizing to watch. Even though he had been around fire and lava his entire life, he still found the looks of it to be beautiful, even if it only inflicted pain onto those who touched it. He didn’t have the chance to admire it much, since he was usually on the run.  
  


He had learned he had somewhat of a resistance to fire, but decided that was for another time to test out. Maybe he could speak to Phil about it.

Techno sighed and set the fire iron down and looked back down to the stack of books that sat next to them. They were books Phil had gotten from the library, easy books meant for children just beginning to read. In other words, perfect material for Techno to begin reading and understanding the English language.

He had to admit that he was impressed with himself because of how quick he was learning. It felt great, and he wanted something more difficult.

The hardest thing about reading, for him, was reading out loud. He seemed to stumble over most words and forget how to pronounce them entirely, but Phil was proud of him for trying his best.  
  


Techno picked up the book on top of the stack and opened it, beginning to read it. He mumbled the words out loud in a soft voice, as if he were to wake up someone next to him although no one was there to wake up. It was lonely without Phil.

He hunched over and read for a while until he heard a crashing sound outside, making him jump in fright and his head to shoot up. The fire crackled once more.

Techno stood up anxiously, quickly scurrying to his room and grabbing his golden sword, which glimmered from the light of the lantern lighting up the room. He gripped the hilt of the sword and slowly made his way to the back of the cottage, where he had heard the crashing sound.

With each second that passed with him standing near the door, thousands of bad thoughts ran through his head about what could have happened. Phil wasn’t here to protect him if someone bad was outside.

There was sharp knocking on the door and a panicked, unfamiliar voice. “You gotta let me in! You gotta let me in!”

Techno didn’t recognize the voice, but it seemed to be of a young boy, maybe around his age? He didn’t know.

He stayed still for a moment, frozen with fear as his stomach did flips and his mind raced with bad thoughts. The frantic knocking continued as the boy outside yelled to be let inside.

Techno finally broke and opened the door, to which a boy older than him ran inside. He gave Techno no time to comprehend the situation, only yelling “close the door!” and stared at Techno as he closed the door and worked at the lock mechanism to lock it back up.

He looked over at the boy, who heaved a sigh in relief, but yelped in fright when he was pushed down and now had a sword at his face.

The boy put his hands up. “Whoah! Hey! Please get your sword away from my face,” he said, his voice cracking. He had an accent similar to Phil’s. His hair was a chestnut brown color, curly, and swept over one side of his to somewhat cover his eye. He wore a black beanie over his head, as well as a yellow sweater with rips, dirt, and soot. His face also had dirt and soot on it. A strange object that Techno didn’t know the name of had fallen off of his back and onto the floor next to him. 

The sword, held tight in Techno’s hand, seemed to help his confidence. He was a quick learner when it came to most things, fighting was no exception. A thought crossed his mind, about what he could do with this sword of his.

Techno frowned, not pulling his sword away, instead, gripping it tighter and staring at the boy intensely. “Who are you?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound too nervous. He stood up straighter, trying to make himself look taller, more intimidating.

“My name’s Wilbur Soot. Now, if you would,  _ please _ get your sword out of my face,” the boy said and gave a nervous laugh, tilting his head away from the golden blade.

Techno didn’t budge. “Why’re you here? Are you tryin’ to steal Phil’s stuff?”

“What?” Wilbur laughed. “No! I don’t even know who ‘Phil’ is,” he said genuinely. 

Techno frowned.

“Look, man, I was stuck out in the middle of the forest at night, which is bad. You know? There was a zombie horde, not to mention those damn skeletons. Barely could escape without being hurt! An’, they were right behind me.” Wilbur shuffled and tried to sit up, only for Techno to kick him back down. “Ow. They were right behind me and I don’t have a weapon, and I can’t use my guitar as a weapon, so I couldn’t just have taken them out! I needed somewhere to go, to stay for the night.”   
  


“Why should I trust you?” Techno asked hesitantly. He was aware of the slight shaking in his hands. 

“I can see you’re nervous, please don’t be. I know you have no reason to trust me, but please believe what I’m saying. I just need somewhere to stay for the night, then I’ll be out of your hair!”

Techno blinked. “...what does that mean?”

“What? Oh, it just means I’ll be out of here and won’t bother you again. I’m assuming you don’t live by yourself, by how young you look. How old are you?”

“....nine,” Techno said slowly, “and you?”

“Thirteen,” Wilbur responded, sighing in relief when Techno stepped away from him and pulled his sword away from Wilbur’s neck. He stood up and picked up the strange object next to him.

“Don’t touch anything,” Techno said sternly, then began to walk towards the living room. He was acutely aware of how Wilbur was staring at his floppy ears and hoofed feet, and how he probably should not trust Wilbur. He would feel guilty if he just locked him out and left him to die, though. Perhaps he was nice?

“What’s your name?” Wilbur asked, looking around the cottage as Techno led him towards the fireplace. It seemed pretty bare; no pictures or anything hung up in the hallway, the only thing striking his eye was two bookshelves in the living room and a worn couch.

“Techno. Technoblade,” he answered and pointed to the floor, then sat down. Wilbur sat down as well, glanced over to the fire, which had begun to die out.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, until Wilbur spoke up again. 

“Uh, you like reading?” he asked, looking over at the stack of books Techno had near him, books that seemed much too easy for a nine year-old to be reading.

“I’m learning how,” Techno responded, picking up the fire iron and poking the firewood to try and get it to rise again. He made sure to keep his other hand on his sword in a tight grip, just in case Wilbur decided to try something.

Wilbur hummed. “Um, is your dad home?”

“Phil’s not my dad,” Techno muttered. “He said he’ll be home in a few hours.” He wanted to sound smart, like he knew how time worked, but he still had no idea how long a few hours was. The concept of time was still new to him, and hard to grasp. 

“Ah…”

The two sat in silence again, for a long time. Techno kept his gaze fixated on Wilbur, and it was obvious that he was nervous. Eventually, after an unreasonable time had passed, the front door opened and in walked Phil with a sack in hand and his armor scratched and his sword stained with purple blood.

The boys looked up and the three of them stood in silence for a while.

“Techno,” Phil said in a low voice, “who is this?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wilbur finds a new home.

Phil was a bit hesitant at first, having another child inside of his home, but agreed to let Wilbur stay for the night. He couldn’t just leave the teen out in the night, with all of the mobs that roamed around. Grown adults had struggles surviving in the night; he didn’t know how the teen had survived.

Wilbur respected Techno’s boundaries; something Phil was very grateful for since he knew how skittish the boy could be. The two seemed to get along with each other easily and quickly, however.

The boys were sitting at the dinner table while Phil stood at the stove, stirring the pot where he was making potato soup, as Techno had suggested. He had some strange affinity for potatoes, but Phil was trying to feed him other things as well. He had trouble stomaching certain things.

Wilbur traced his finger along the line of the wood while Techno simply watched, acutely aware of how loud Wilbur’s stomach was growling.

“Is Phil a good cook?” Wilbur asked, his tone in jest. 

“I think so,” Techno responded, glancing over to where Phil was standing. The smell of the soup was very pleasing and just made him hungrier. 

Wilbur hummed. “It smells good,” he commented. “That’s a good sign.”

Techno nodded, and silence fell over the table again. It seemed that Wilbur was finding it easier to strike up conversation with Techno, even if the boy didn’t give very long answers and most of the time was pretty monotone, leading Wilbur to believe he wasn’t interested. 

Phil grabbed bowls from the cabinet and then dished up soup for each of them, then set it down in front of the boys. He pulled out his own chair and sat down, looking at Techno, who was immediately reaching for his spoon. “Slow down, mate. It’s still hot.”

Phil then looked over to Wilbur. “So...Wilbur.”

Wilbur looked up from where he was stirring the soup and tilted his head. 

Phil cleared his throat. “Excuse me if I come off as rude, but do you have a home to go back to? You said that you were caught in the forest. Were you trying to find your way home or…?”

Wilbur gave a small shrug. “I don’t. I’ve been travelling by myself for a while, since I wanted to leave my hometown. There were no opportunities there and people didn’t….” He hummed, swirling his spoon in his soup again, “they didn’t particularly like me or my parents.”

They all sat in silence for a few moments, the light clinking of the spoons again the bowls and slurping noises. Techno and Wilbur were practically golfing down their food, even though Phil had allowed them to have snacks.

Phil finally spoke up again. “Do you need a place to stay?”

Wilbur blinked and stared at Phil. “You..you really mean it? You’ll let me stay?”

Techno gave Phil an uncertain look, shifting in his chair nervously. Phil frowned, then looked back over at Wilbur. He’d have to hope that Techno and Wilbur would get along with each other. “As long as you are respectful and help out around the cottage, then sure. I can’t just leave you out in the forest to die.”

Wilbur smiled softly, his hand gripping the spoon. Phil could tell that he was nervous as well, having to be with two complete strangers, one who had a sword to his throat nearly an hour ago. “Thank you,” he said after a moment. “It really means a lot.”

Phil smiled at him. “Of course.”

The three of them then ate in silence, the clinking of spoon against bowls and light slurping continuing for a while. There was a tense air in the room, Techno kept his eyes on Wilbur with a look of distrust, while Wilbur just tried to ignore him and kept his gaze on his bowl, studying the decal on it. Phil looked back and forth between the two until him and Techno made eye contact.

Phil stood up. “Are you two done eating?” he asked. 

The boys nodded, and so Phil took their bowls and washed them out, then set them to dry on a towel that rested on the counter. Phil then looked over to Techno. “Come here, Techno.”

These words immediately struck Techno with a wave of anxiety, thinking that he did something wrong. He got up and followed Phil to the hallway, out of earshot from Wilbur. He shuffled on his feet, feeling small next to Phil.

Phil gave him a warm look and crouched down to him. “Will you be okay with Wilbur staying with us? I just..at least for tonight, until it gets light out again.”

Techno shrugged, giving no verbal response. This was normal.

“We can figure out where he wants to go in the morning, but for sure, he has to stay with us for tonight. It’s very dangerous outside at night, I’ve told you this,” Phil said, internally recoiling from his tone. It was worryingly obvious how nervous Techno was, and Phil’s stern tone isn't helping. He sighed. “I’m sorry. I want you to know that you’re not in trouble, not at all. I just want you to be comfortable and feel safe. You can stay in my room, if you want?”

Techno shook his head. “‘Like my room,” he mumbled. Phil could hardly understand his words with the mumbling and Techno’s strange accent with still learning how English sounded, but he nodded.

“Alright. You can always come to me if you’re nervous, okay?”

Techno nodded.

Phil smiled and stood up to his full height, which didn’t seem too tall to him because Wilbur was scarily tall for his age. “Go get ready for bed, please. I’ll come in and tell you goodnight.”

Techno nodded again and quickly scurried off to his own room, so Phil went back to the dining table, where Wilbur was sitting in an awkward silence. He looked up when he heard Phil’s footsteps and tilted his head.

“Come, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying for the night,” Phil said, and Wilbur got up from the table and followed him. 

He led him around the cottage to the spare room that was farthest from Techno’s, hoping to help him ease out from his anxiety. When they passed Phil and Techno’s rooms, Phil pointed them out to Wilbur just in case he needed anything.

Phil opened the door to the spare room. It was empty apart from a small-ish bed with a blanket lazily draped over it and a pillow that was sunk in. The curtains were closed, only letting a sliver of moonlight in the room. 

“Sorry that it’s so bare,” Phil said. He watched Wilbur set down his guitar he had brought with him (Phil had yet to ask him about it, but he just assumed that Wilbur liked music) beside the bed.

“It’s okay,” Wilbur said, looking around and squinting.

“Do you need any night clothes?” Phil asked.

“Oh, um. That would be nice, but you don’t have to. I should be okay for the night.”

“Are you sure? I’m sure I have old clothes around here somewhere. Of course, they’d be big on you, but that’s better than them being smaller, y’know?”

Wilbur nodded. “Yeah. Thank you, Phil.”

Phil nodded and left the room to find Wilbur some night clothes. When he looked in his closet, having to dig around a bit and look through a few boxes, he found a pair of clothes that he used to wear years ago.

He went back to the spare room Wilbur was in, stopping outside of the door to hear the light strumming of a guitar and humming. He stayed still for a moment, listening with a small smile, then knocked on the door. The sound stopped and Wilbur called out a ‘come in!’.

Phil went in and set down the clothes on the bed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Wilbur. Sleep well.”

Wilbur nodded and smiled. “Thank you.”

Phil smiled and then walked out of the room, shutting the door gently behind him. When he turned, he saw the small, pink-haired boy in front of him, causing him to jump in fright, then sigh. “You scared me,” he said then laughed.

Techno said nothing for a moment, then grabbed Phil’s hand and led him towards his room. Phil simply followed after Techno, though he was very confused.

Techno opened the door to his room and then hopped onto his bed. He sat in silence before he spoke again. “I keep seeing it in my book’s. The kid’s parents tuck him into bed.”

Phil arched an eyebrow. 

“An’ then read them a story…” Techno trailed off, looking away. “Can you do that?”

“Ah….of course.” Phil smiled. “I can do that. What story would you like to read?”

Techno thought for a moment, looking at the wall behind Phil. “Um…..I don’t know.” He then perked up, an idea in your head. “Dream told me about this the other day. Uh, the village’s God.”

Phil hummed. “That’s not a story for your ears. Maybe when you’re older.”

Techno frowned. “Please?”

“You’re nine, Techno.”

“I-so?” Techno gave Phil sad eyes. “Please?”

Phil let out a sigh. “Fine. Lie down, I’ll go get the book.”

Techno smiled softly. “Thank you.” He lifted the blanket and lied down under it, curling up so that he was comfortable and warm. 

He watched Phil leave the room and closed his eyes and just let himself think. It was strange being here now; it was such a quick change, but he liked Phil. He liked Phil a lot, and, as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he trusted Phil.

Techno didn’t trust many people. Especially not Piglins. 

A few minutes passed and Phil came back with a book in hand, then pulled up a chair near the bed. He pulled the blanket more over Techno, trying to avoid touching him since he knew Techno didn’t like physical touch. He was surprised when Techno leaned up and hugged Phil with a loose grip. He quickly pulled away and lied back down.  
  


Phil smiled, then sat down and opened the book, then began to read in a quiet, soothing voice. Although Techno wanted to pay attention and learn more, he found himself to be too tired to comprehend the words, so he just listened to Phil’s voice as his eyes began to droop.

Phil kept reading until he noticed that Techno was fast asleep, something he didn’t expect from the boy who usually didn’t sleep until unreasonable times. He stood up, making sure to be as quiet as he could, and set the book on the nightstand. 

He looked over at Techno, smiling warmly, then turned off the lamp and left the room. The door shut with a quiet click, then left him in an uncomfortable silence.

Phil glanced towards the spare room Wilbur was in, then began to walk to his own room. He sighed softly.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he was overwhelmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the kudos :)!  
> follow my twitter and instagram @socks_oda  
> if you have any questions, just ask in comments :)  
> <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> techno has a nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw- violence and stabbing

Techno didn’t often have nightmares, that was until he came to the Overworld. The stench of blood would fill his nose and he could feel the slimy texture of blood. His face was hot, the bright light of fire in his face; so close that it hurt to look at, to be near. Nightmares of him being back in the Nether, abandoned and left to rot once Phil was done with him. The haunting cries of ghasts in his ears, the large white figures coming closer and closer to him. The snorts and grunts of piglins, those who did not accept him, their gleaming golden swords in hand. The shrill cry of Hoglins and the feeling of being impaled.   
  


That was only one of the nightmares.

_ He held a sword in his clawed hand, his grip tight. Sweat was dripping down his face, and he felt weighed down. Techno looked down at himself to see that he was wearing a full set of armor that glowed with a purple-ish light. His sword, which was dripping with dark red blood, also had that same purple-ish light. It would be pretty if not for the blood staining it. _

_ He didn’t know where he was, but it was dark and raining, gradually washing the blood off of the sword and his armor. There was a light mist, hardly noticeable. Below him, were the mangled bodies of people he did not recognize, for they had no face. He could only recognize the bodies of two of them, those being Phil and a grown up Wilbur. _

_ There was a pit in his stomach; he wanted to throw up. Had he done this? Had he hurt them? Although he wasn’t close to Wilbur, not at all, he still felt an immense guilt seeing the blood pour out of his stomach, as well as the strange red bumps all over his skin that seemed to be very irritated and scratched at until it was bleeding. _

_ Techno looked up, hyper aware of his own shivering. He tended to get cold very easily since he was used to the warmer climate, but he was colder than he had ever been before. He could hardly feel his fingers and he could see his breath in the air. The freezing rain didn’t help at all. _

_ A few paces away, stood a tall man with braided hair. He wore a crown on top of his head and a long, flowing robe trimmed with fur. He resembled someone of royalty; a prince, or king perhaps? _

_ Techno couldn’t see the man’s face well, his features unrecognizable. He gripped his sword tighter in his hand and began to step closer, trying to remember what little training Phil had given him so far. He seemed to be grown, now. Standing here in this field.  _

_ As he tried to step over the bodies, the pile only grew larger and larger, leaving Techno breathless as the man laughed and walked away, his own clothes becoming more and more bloodstained. _

_ “Wait!” Techno gasped out, tripping over one of the bodies and falling onto the ground in front of him. “You bastard! Get back here!” _

__ He heard the echo of the man’s laugh, a voice similar to his own, in the distance. Techno couldn’t pinpoint where it was.  
  


_ Techno went to stand up, but was quickly kicked back down onto the ground, feeling the mud on his face. He flipped over onto his back, but gasped when he felt an axe pierce through his armor and into his stomach. He looked up to see a different figure this time, a porcelain mask on their face. _

_ Techno closed his eyes, listening to the laugh of the crowned man slowly echo out until there was silence and a numbing sensation in his stomach. _

Techno shot up with a gasp and looked around, taking in his surroundings. He was back in his room at Phil’s cottage, sunlight peeking through the closed curtains. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead and got up from his bed, immediately feeling an overwhelming sense of vertigo and nausea, causing him to fall back down on his bed. There was a slight ache in his stomach.

Techno rubbed his eyes and stood up again, balancing himself on the wall and letting out a breath once he could see straight again. The dull pain in his stomach was more noticeable now, causing him to frown.

He got dressed in the new clothes Phil had gotten him the other day. A simple white poet’s blouse and brown pants, as well as a red haori Phil had gifted him. It was Phil’s from when he was younger, and did a good job at keeping him warm.

Techno moved towards the door and opened it, walking out into the hallway and towards the living room and then to the kitchen, where Phil was standing, looking at a paper that sat on the counter. Phil looked up when he heard the soft clicking of Techno’s hooved feet.

“Good morning,” Phil greeted, glancing back down at the paper and then back to Techno. “Are you alright, mate? You look pale.”

Techno nodded. “A little dizzy,” he mumbled, going over and sitting down at the table, letting himself relax.

“Have you been drinking enough water?”

Techno shrugged. It was strange now, water was so limited in the Nether and having being half Piglin, he didn’t necessarily need much water to survive. Of course, being half human as well, he did need some water. Now that he was in the Overworld, water was much more plentiful and his throat didn’t hurt as much.

Phil frowned, then looked back at the paper. “You must be dehydrated.”

“What’s that mean?” Techno asked, kicking his legs under the table. He had never been good at sitting still.

“It means that you don’t drink enough water. It messes with your body,” Phil said, then moved around the kitchen, grabbing a few things from each place and humming to himself. “It can mess you up real bad.”

Now Techno frowned. “I don’t need as much water as you,” he said. “I look mostly human but I’m still half Piglin.” He surprised himself with his own speech, priding himself in how smart he sounded. The dull pain in his stomach was bugging him still, almost a cramping feeling.

“You have a point,” Phil responded then laughed, starting a fire on the stove.

“What are you making?” Techno asked, watching Phil with wide, curious red eyes. 

“They’re called ‘pancakes’. I’ve eaten them before in town, and the woman at the bakery was kind enough to give me a copy of her recipe. They’re very tasty; I think you’ll like them.”

Techno gave a hum in lieu of a response, looking towards the hallway when he heard footsteps and a yawn, spotting Wilbur standing there in large clothes that were baggy on him. They were similar to what Phil often wore, a haori. In fact, Phil was already dressed with his own haori on over his clothes, which Techno knew the name of, but had no idea how to pronounce it. Shihakusho, he wasn’t sure what it meant, and Phil wouldn’t explain it. Wilbur was not wearing that under his haori.

Wilbur rubbed his eyes and went over to the table, sitting down across from Techno. They sat in silence for a moment, only listening to the sound of Phil walking around in the kitchen and humming. Wilbur then spoke up. “Good morning,” he said and smiled at the younger boy.

Techno looked up. “Good morning,” he mumbled halfheartedly.

“What’s Phil making?” Wilbur asked, trying to engage in at least small talk with Techno, even though the boy was being stubborn in not wanting to talk with him.

“He calls them pancakes,” Techno said, tilting his head. “I don’t know what they are.”

“Oh, pancakes!” Wilbur grinned. “I’ve had those before, they’re very sweet and…” he paused, trying to think of a way to explain, “fluffy.”

Techno blinked. “Fluffy?”

“Yeah.”

Techno looked at Wilbur with a look of pure confusion, then shook his head and looked towards Phil in the kitchen.

“Good morning, Phil,” Wilbur said, uncomfortable with the silence.

Phil looked back. “Oh, good morning, Wilbur. Did you sleep well?”

Wilbur nodded. “Yeah; really well, actually. I think that’s the best sleep I’ve had in awhile.”

“That’s good to hear.” Phil smiled, then continued to cook. Once again, an uncomfortable, almost tense silence fell over the room, leaving Techno to his own thoughts.

Should he tell Phil about his nightmare? Or should he just leave it be?

It seemed too strange to be just a nightmare, right? Or was he just overreacting?

Either way, Techno couldn’t help but feel nervous and shaken from the experience, and the lingering pain in his stomach didn’t help to ease his anxiety, even if it was just a dull pain. It only kept his mind fresh on the events of the nightmare.

Had he killed Phil and Wilbur? What reasons would he have to do that? Phil had been nothing but kind to him since he had taken him in and helped him recover from the night in the forest. He didn’t particularly trust Wilbur, but he had no reason to hate him, no reason to  _ slaughter _ him.

He must have been thinking for a while, because before he knew it, Phil was calling them to come get their breakfast.

The boys got up from the table and went into the kitchen to grab their food, which they accepted gratefully from Phil, then went back to the table to begin to eat. Phil came out after a moment as well and sat down, beginning to eat his own food.

The silence this time wasn’t as suffocating, but Techno was too distracted by his food and the sounds of forks scraping against plates to ponder more about the nightmare. He did notice, however, the growing pain in his stomach as he ate. He figured it was just because of how sweet the food was.

The pancakes were better than he expected. They were very sweet because of the ‘syrup’ Phil added onto it to make it taste better. Fluffy seemed like the perfect way to describe them.

“I should show you two around the forest today,” Phil said after he swallowed a bite of his food, washing it down with his glass of water. “Show you your surroundings, you know? I’ll show you two the west of the forest first, since there’s a nice clearing there, then go over the main path to the village again.”

The boys nodded.

Phil clapped his hands, then stood up from the table. “Sounds like a deal. Are you two done?” When he got nods from both of them, he took all three empty plates, cleaned them, then set them on a towel to dry. The other dishes were there, waiting to be put away in their respective spots. 

“Go put on your shoes, I’ll be out in the back.”

Techno quickly went to his room and grabbed his boots, which had somehow gotten under his bed. He pulled them over his feet, which was a little awkward with his hooves, and made sure the lacing at the top was nice and secure. He decided on just wearing his haori over his clothes rather than his cloak, since they weren’t going into the village. Having shoes on and a cloak over his head made him look human enough, he supposed. He was growing small tusks (which he hadn’t told Phil about, since they didn’t hurt yet) but they weren’t noticeable at all unless he opened his mouth, and yet they still weren’t very noticeable.

He stood up again, grabbed his sword, and walked out to the back, opening the door and stepping out of the cottage. He looked over at the small farm, which Phil must have replanted some time before him and Wilbur got up. Phil had mentioned before that he was “just a lowly but handsome merchant”. He just sold some vegetables in the village. Phil seemed to find his own joke hilarious, however.

Wilbur walked out of the house a moment later, pulling his haori back over his shoulders and looking between the two of them, a small, albeit nervous smile on his face.

“Are you two ready to go?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you have any questions, don’t be afraid to leave a comment!  
> thank you for all the kind words and kudos, it really means a lot and help me stay motivated!  
> my twitter and instagram are @socks_oda !


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> phil shows the boys something hidden in the forest

The forest, in the daytime, was much more peaceful than Techno had imagined. Still, he kept his sword in his hand just in case anything were to happen. Phil had the same idea, keeping his diamond sword in a sheath and being cautious where they would go.

Wilbur and Techno kept getting distracted by the plant life, stopping every few moments to study something different, since this forest was bustling with plant and animal life. Phil remembered when it wasn’t always like this.  
  


“What’s this one?” Techno asked, pointing to a three leafed plant that was on a tree.

“That one’s poison ivy!” Wilbur said before Phil could say anything. He grinned, excited that he knew something. “Don’t touch it though!” He said quickly as Techno reached out to touch it.

“Why not?” Techno asked, pulling his hand away.

“It will give you a rash,” Wilbur said. When he noticed Technoblade’s confused expression, he spoke again. “That means it will make your skin very itchy and irritated. Sometimes it can be painful.”

“Does the rash ever go away?”

“Well, yes. It does eventually, but you still don’t want to touch it. I remember a few months when I was running, I fell into a bunch of poison ivy. I had so many rashes all over my body and the itching got so bad that I was bleeding because I couldn’t stop scratching it.” Wilbur stepped away from the plant, more on the ‘path’ of the forest.

Techno frowned, the image of Wilbur bleeding out in his nightmare coming back to mind. He shuddered and quickly stepped away from the plant, feeling himself become nauseous. The pain in his stomach made him more aware.

Phil glanced back at them and kept walking, pushing away plants to clear the path more for the boys. He assured them that those plants were not poisonous and would not hurt them. The three of them kept walking for a while, listening to the soft rustling of the leaves as a gentle breeze drifted through, as well as the chirps of birds. The leaves had begun to turn orange and yellow colors now that it was autumn, so it was truly a beautiful sight to see.

Sunlight peeked through the branches and leaves, giving them a trail of light to follow until they were deeper and deeper into the forest. The path, however, opened up after a few minutes so they stood in a clearing, where a large statue lay, supposedly untouched.

The statue was of a winged man, wearing an outfit similar to Phil’s, even with the shihakusho. It was taller than the trees, growing moss and stained green in some spots. The stone was chipping away in many spots. By its feet was a stone slate, with runes engraved in it.

Techno stepped close to it and kneeled down in front of it, glancing around at the flower lied to rest near the statue’s feet. Wilbur came up behind him and crouched down as well, a frown on his face.

“Can you read it?” Wilbur asked.

Techno nodded. It was the same runes the piglins used in their literature. Why would those same runes be in the Overworld? Was there some sort of connection between piglins and humans that he just didn’t happen to know about. He took a moment to read the runes. “....angel of death,” he said after a moment, then looked at Wilbur with a look of confusion. Wilbur had the same confused expression. He looked back at the slate, to the runes in fine print. “Shi...nigami.”

They both looked to Phil for an answer, who looked up at the statue with an unreadable expression. He blinked when he realized they were looking at him, then came over to them. He crouched down as well, his fingers hovering over the slate, but not touching it.

“What is a shinigami?” Wilbur asked, and, just as Techno, he was very eager to learn. 

Phil paused for a moment, thinking of a way to explain that would be easy for them to understand, moreso Techno. “A shinigami is a creature who helps wayward spirits find peace by passing on to the afterlife,” he said. “That’s why this shinigami is called the ‘Angel of Death’.”

“Does this one have a name?”

Phil tilted his head and stood up, looking on the slate again then glanced around the clearing to see if there were any more clues. There were gifts laid out at the statue’s feet; bouquets of dark and white colored flowers, plates of food which had since spoiled apart from a few more recent dishes, and ashes sprinkled about. Phil returned to the slate and let out a noise of triumph, pulling out a piece of paper semi hidden under the slate and reading it, squinting a bit to read the runes more easily.

“What’s it say? What’s it say?” Wilbur asked, his mouth agape. Techno nodded quickly, his own excitement growing as well.

“Hm. People will come here with offerings and letters, as well as a lit torch so that the Angel will let them speak to their passed loved ones.”

“How do they do that?” Techno asked, looking over at the pile of gifts at the statue’s feet, more specifically focused on the ashes scoured about.

“They give the Angel their offering, say a prayer, then they burn the letter with the torch they bring and sprinkle the ashes on the ground.” Phil gestured to the statue’s feet. “Then, supposedly, the message will make its way to the person’s loved one.”

The boys gaped, Phil watching them with a glint of amusement in his eyes. He set the note back down by the slate then stepped back, studying the statue.

“Is there a way for the dead person to talk to the living?” Wilbur asked, him and Techno going to stand near Phil.

“I’m sure there’s a way,” Phil responded, “but I don’t think that’s the Angel’s job. We’ll have to look more into this, hm?”

Techno nodded. “We can look in the village library! Or even the cathedral. Oh, or I could ask Dream. I’m sure he’ll know something since he seems to know a lot about these sorts of things.” He paused, looking up at the statue, trying to get a good look at the statue’s face, but it was too high up and too chipped for Techno to get a good look. He hummed. “I’ll ask him when we go there next.”

Phil nodded, then began to walk towards the entrance of the clearing again, leaving the boys to follow after him. “I suppose we should head towards home now. The potatoes won’t replant themselves, and, of course, lunch.”

The boys followed after Phil, going back through the forest on the path they used to get to the clearing in the first place. They were in silence for the most part, taking in the scenery and noises of the forest. Wilbur kicked a rock, prompting Techno to kick it as well once he got to the spot where the rock had landed. The two continued to take turns kicking the rock until Wilbur kicked it into a patch of poison ivy, neither of them wanting to retrieve it from there.

Phil was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the two seemed to get along with each other. Of course, Techno was still standoffish, but he seemed to take a liking to Wilbur. Wilbur didn’t seem at all bothered by Techno, not by his standoffish attitude or piglin features. He figured that, if Wilbur stayed, they would get along very well and be good friends.

He hoped, at least.

He’d have to expand the farm and have the boys help him out there so that he could provide them with what they needed. Wilbur would likely have to go to one of the school’s in the village, but Techno would have to be homeschooled. People weren’t very accepting of hybrids anymore, which was why he had Techno wear a hood so his ears wouldn’t show.

Phil shook his head. He’d figure it out, eventually.

The three of them returned to the cottage, Wilbur running off to his room after speaking to Techno. Techno sat down by the fireplace and waited patiently for a moment before Wilbur came back with his guitar in hand.

“Okay,” Wilbur started as he sat down. He pointed to the instrument in his hand. “It’s called a guitar, and it makes music.”

Techno nodded. “How does it make music?”

Wilbur set it in his lap and pointed to the strings. “You strum these strings and it makes sound.” He demonstrated for Techno, the noise off tune and not pretty. He frowned. “It needs tuning to sound good; give me a moment.”

Techno waited for Wilbur to tune his guitar, zoning out a bit until he heard Wilbur’s voice again.

“Okay! Here we go.” Wilbur played a chord and grinned, the sound much better than before. “Um, yeah. I’m kinda teaching myself how to play it since I was only taught the very basics. I am getting better, though! I’ve made my own song. Well, I’m still figuring out the lyrics- oh, that’s the words of the song,” he said once he saw Techno’s confused expression, “but I figured out a sound I like for it. Do you mind if I play it?” 

“Play it!” Techno said, admittedly excited since he hadn’t the sounds of a guitar before, and he was sure that Wilbur was good.

Wilbur smiled brightly, obviously happy that he has the chance to play for someone. He let out a breath and began strumming the guitar in a tune he has been figuring out for a few weeks now, one that sounded good to him. Glancing at Techno, he saw the boy watching Wilbur’s fingers in awe and a small smile on his face, enough proof to him that he was enjoying it.

Wilbur grinned and continued to play the instrumental to his songs, humming softly along to it and thinking to himself.

He was happy to have a new home, and, potentially, a new brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woo lore pog!  
> from here on, the chapters will likely get very lore heavy so bear with me :)  
> my instagram and twitter are @socks_oda !  
> feel free to comment any questions you have or make predictions :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the antarctic festival (pt.one)

Techno had convinced Phil to let the three of them go to the festival. He wasn’t sure what day exactly it was since he was still having trouble figuring out how time worked (even with all the help Phil and Wilbur gave him, it just didn’t seem to click for him), but Phil knew. 

He was in his room, pacing and thinking to himself. He had excused himself to get ready in the nicest clothes he had, which had been the new clothes that Phil got him from the tailor shop.

Techno put on a poet’s blouse, lacing it up and flattening the ruffles against his chest with his hand. He tucked the blouse into his pants, which were a dark brown color. He pulled on his boots as well, then stood up and grabbed his haori off of his bed, putting it on himself and then smoothing it out. He looked out himself in the mirror and ran his fingers through his hair. It was knotty still, yes, but it was definitely a step up from what it had been. Phil reminded him to brush his hair everyday, and would occasionally ask if he could brush out Techno’s hair for him, which Techno still hadn’t agreed to. He grabbed his cloak and pulled it on over the haori, not yet putting the hood over his head.

He did see Wilbur in the bathroom cutting his own hair, tongue out in concentration. He seemed to know what he was doing, and it ended up looking pretty good.

Phil’s hair was choppy and uneven, so he didn’t particularly trust Phil to cut his hair.

Techno shook his head and stepped out into the hallway, out the front door of the cottage where Phil was already standing. He wore a dark green kimono with his signature black haori draped over it. Wilbur came out a few minutes later, pulling on his own haori as he walked and dipped his head.

Phil smiled, adjusting the basket in his hand so that he held it more comfortably then gestured for the boys to follow him.

“Have you been to the festival before?” Techno asked after a few minutes of walking in silence. The sunlight peeked through the tree branches and leaves, but it wasn’t enough of an irritation that he had to block the sun from his eyes. It seemed to give more light to the path in front of them. 

He looked over at a patch of poison ivy near the tree, thinking back to the conversation with Wilbur from a few days ago. Wilbur was walking next to him, guitar strapped to his back and humming to himself. 

“Yep,” Phil responded, glancing back towards Techno. “I’ve gone all the years I’ve been here. I just figured you two wouldn’t want to go since it can be pretty overwhelming with all the people there. Everyone’s crowded at the capitol.”

Techno hummed a response, looking at the ground and seeing a rock. He glanced to Wilbur, who seemed to have the same idea as him, and thus, they began to kick the rock back and forth between them, going up the path past Phil, who watched and laughed.

Eventually, after a while of walking and plenty of stones being kicked, they arrived at the village. People were murmuring and laughing, drinks held high in the air and lanterns being lit. People were beginning to make their way to the capitol, so the trio decided to make their way there as well. Techno pulled on his hood and chewed at the inside of his cheek, a nervous habit he had picked up.

It was another long-ish walk, shorter than the walk to the village, but still seemingly long. They had to push their way past people as the crowd began to thicken, and they eventually ran into Dream, who grabbed Techno’s sleeve and urged him to the front of the crowd. Phil and Wilbur followed, Wilbur extremely confused as to who this new boy was.

“Wha? What’s wrong?” Techno asked, pulling his arm away from Dream and walking with him to a stage-like platform. Banners of the kingdom were raised high and flags flown, the blue and teal-ish colors seeming oddly familiar to Techno, but he couldn’t place his finger on it. He shook his head and looked over to Dream, who was shuffling through his backpack and sticking out his tongue in concentration.

“The prince is going to be here today! He usually doesn’t come out of the palace,” Dream explained. “He only comes out occasionally, usually for big events like today.” He pulled out a mask from his bag, Techno freezing when he saw the white porcelain mask with an eerie smiley-face drawn on it. He was immediately reminded of the masked man in his dream--his nightmare, and he was suddenly hyper aware of the dull pain in his stomach. He looked away, a sense of dread in his stomach.

Dream put on the mask, standing on his tip-toes to get a better look around, seeing if the prince was anywhere nearby.

“Wh-why do you have that mask?” Techno asked hesitantly after a moment, trying to relax his tense shoulders. Dream was just a kid like him, it’s not like he’d do anything. Still, he couldn’t help but feel absolutely terrified.

“I like stayin’ anonymous,” he responded, then spoke again after a moment of silent confusion from Techno, “that means I like it when people don’t really know who I am.”

“You haven’t worn it around me before?”

“I usually wear it when I’m in town or out of town. I mean, I don’t wear it all of the time, but I do most of the time.” Dream shrugged. “I dunno. I just like it.”

Techno responded with a hum, looking around and seeing Wilbur and Phil pushing their way through the crowd, murmuring ‘sorry’s to people they passed, then paused when they reached Dream and Techno. 

“I thought we had lost you!” Wilbur said and let out a sigh of relief, then looked at Dream with a skeptical expression. “Who’re you?”

Dream stuck out his hand for the taller boy, seemingly confident and mature. “My name’s Dream. Who’re  _ you _ ? I’ve never seen you before with Techno and Phil.”

Wilbur simply crossed his arms, not shaking Dream’s hand. “I’m Wilbur. I’m staying with Phil for the time being.” He watched Dream, his lips set in a thin line.

Dream seemed just as confused as Techno as to why he did not seem to like Dream, but he shrugged and turned to Phil. “Cool, cool. Hello Philza.”

Phil dipped his head. “Hello, mate. I see you have that mask of yours again.”

Dream nodded, smiling behind his mask although the rest of them could not see it. “Mhm. Never leave wi-” he stopped speaking once he heard trumpets sounding nearby and gasped. “It’s time!”

He pulled Techno closer and walked to the very front of the crowd, as close as he could get without the guards shoving him away, standing on his tiptoes again to get a better look. Techno stood next to him, seemingly disinterested and kicking the ground beneath him. 

A few moments later, a boy around Wilbur’s age and a tall older man were walking towards the stage with plenty of royal guards behind them. Two other people followed behind the boy, a girl around Techno’s age with dark hair and two sections of her hair light like Phil’s, and a very young boy with brown hair. The boy wore a long gown decorated with many laces and made out of very expensive fabric in blue shades, similar to the shades of blue in the flag. He wore a cape loosely over his shoulders with the kingdom’s flag on it. He had dark glasses, which he adjusted with his fingers as he stepped onto the stage and then went to the front of it. He lifted his gown as he walked, then dropped it once he was standing still. The silver crown on his head glinted as the light reflected off of it.

The man next to him wore a dark pair of sunglasses as well, brimmed with a dark red color. He wore a long tailcoat with the colors of the flag on it, a fluffy white undershirt underneath. The coat had fancy and expensive lacing similar to the prince’s gown and he stood next to the prince with his hands behind his back. Techno noticed a glimmering diamond sword strapped to him, similar to Phil’s although it glowed with a purple hue.

“That’s Prince Eret,” Dream whispered to Technoblade, shuffling on his feet with excitement. “The man next to him is King regent, everyone calls him Sparklez.”

Techno nodded slowly, not knowing what that meant, watching the two on the stage as the noise of the trumpets died down and the prince cleared his throat to speak.

Crown Prince Eret dipped his head and then held his arms out. “Hello, citizens of the Antarctic Empire. As you know, today is the day we remember one of my great ancestors that returned home and aided us in the war, The Blood God,” he said in a loud voice, a sense of distaste coming from him when he spoke the name. He cleared his throat, a grin on his face. “Today is one we should take this day to be with family and friends and enjoy the festivities we have to offer, ideas courtesy of my younger siblings, Niki and Tubbo.” He gestured to the kids that had walked with them onto the stage, the youngest boy, Prince Tubbo, giving a small wave to the crowd and stepping closer to the girl, Princess Niki.

“I do hope you enjoy the night, as we have been planning this for a while and trying to make this year the best it has been,” Eret said after a moment, then turned away from the crowd, his cloak fluttering with the sudden movement and showing the flag embroidered on the back much more clearer. “Let the festivities commence!”

Murmurs broke out among the crowd and it began to disperse slowly. Phil gestured for the boys to follow him away from the crowd, and so they did, Dream following along behind them.

“Alright,” Phil started. “I will allow you two to choose where you want to go and what you want to do, since it is heavily guarded around here.” 

Techno and Wilbur nodded quickly, an air of excitement around them.

“But, you two have to stick together. Just in the worst case scenario. Meet me back here once the sun begins to set, then we will go light the lanterns with everyone else,” Phil said, hardly able to finish talking to them when Dream dragged Techno away, practically bouncing on his feet. He could tell how excited Dream was, and honestly, he couldn’t help but be excited too. He was excited to learn more about the culture and the legends of this kingdom in the overworld. This kingdom lit up by torches of blue fire and blue flags being flown around in celebration and remembrance of their land.

Technoblade couldn’t help but admire them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the support! reading your comments and theories really brightens my day :)  
> don’t be afraid to tell me your thoughts and theories in the comments!  
> my twitter and instagram are @socks_oda


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the antarctic festival (pt.two)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let’s pretend i didn’t forget about this fic  
> tw- mention of violence

“I have so much I’d like to share,” Dream said, looking around at the banners strung up at every stand of the same flag the Prince had on his cloak. People seemed to be very keen on their celebration and wanting to keep to the same tradition the kingdom had for hundreds of years. Techno had never been to a celebration like this, or a celebration at all, really. There was no hierarchy in the Nether and certainly no kind of civilization as close to humans as piglins were. Piglins were not the type of creatures to gather for these types of festivals, since they liked to keep to their own little pack rather than to stray away. Techno wondered if he’d ever revisit the Nether, or if it would just become a faded away memory in the back of his head. So far, he’s made many great memories here in the Overworld and it has already been such an upgrade from what the Nether had been.

Wilbur stayed silent, eyeing Dream with some sort of distrust that Techno couldn’t place, and it bothered him. Why did Wilbur not like him? Was there a specific reason? Had they even met before?

Techno nodded. “You can share. I want to hear more,” he said, and that was true. Dream’s storytelling seemed fairly easy to follow, especially for someone new to English (even if he was learning so much at such a quick pace, he was surprised with himself) like Techno. He’d only heard vague rumors about legends in the Nether, such as the portal and ghast tears, but nothing like this.

Dream beamed. “Well, good! Because I didn’t get to tell the full story the other day. The gruesome story.” His voice was low, as if to not scare off the two, but they simply watched, Wilbur seeming to have a new curiosity sparking in his eyes.

Techno tilted his head and gestured for Dream to continue, to tell the story in its full detail. The heels of Techno’s boots clicked on the cobblestone path, as did the heels of many other people passing by, murmuring to each other in either hushed tones or excited tones, holding treats in their hands, some kind of delicacy that must be native to here. Children younger than them ran past, squealing in excitement and happiness for there were so many things they could do only in this one day every year.

“Alright,” Dream started, “I should mention before that hybrids were much more accepted back then, definitely not so much now. Prince Eret is actually working on outlawing hate crimes against hybrids, but he can’t put that in place until he’s king.”

Wilbur glanced at Techno, who had his hood over his ears to hide the fact that he was a hybrid himself. Sure, he was a little weirded out and somewhat scared first seeing Techno (from stories he had been told about hybrids although not encountering any in his lifetime and having a sword to his neck), but he grew used to seeing those floppy ears and the sound of his hooved feet clicking against the ground and the small tusks he was growing that you could only see if you looked closely.

“There was a king and his three sons, their names long since forgotten. I think it’s somewhat weird. These very influential figures in our history, their names have just been wiped off the board. They are only known by the names we have given to them. The King, er, Emperor back then, an angel, called ‘The Angel of Death,” Wilbur and Techno shared a look, remembering the statue of the winged man holding a sword and wearing a shihakusho, looking all too similar to Phil. “It’s said he was an amazing leader, one of the greatest in our history. Anyway, he had three sons. The oldest, titled General Soot, since he was one of the generals in the King’s army. He would have been king if he hadn’t turned it down and offered the position to the middle child, who we all know as The Blood God. He was a hybrid, the only other hybrid in the family. A hybrid of a human and a Nether creature called a Piglin. General Soot was closest to the youngest brother, who is called the ‘Zombie Child.’”

The three of them took a moment to pause and giggle lightly at the name before Dream continued to speak. Techno couldn’t help but catch onto the fact that the Blood God was the same type of hybrid that he was, and it made him somewhat nervous and standoffish. “They called him this because of his reckless tendencies that had put him in near-death situations that he really should have died from, but somehow survived. He just couldn’t seem to die.

“One day, this was when the boys were young, they were all travelling through the territory of the country they previously had some conflicts with but were now neutral with. It was snowing very hard outside since they had been near the border of that country, called Manberg, and the Antarctic Empire, which is here! Apparently it used to snow almost all year round back then, but it's since then warmed up around here. Of course, it’s somewhat chilly most of the time,” Dream trailed off, looking at a shivering Techno. Techno was definitely not used to the rapid change of temperature and definitely liked to wear layers of clothing if he had the chance to. “Have you two ever seen snow?” Wilbur nodded, while Techno shook his head. He had heard rumors about snow in the Nether, but had never seen it. “It’s really pretty and I’m sure it’ll start to snow here in a few weeks. It’s sorta in this period of time between June and August where it’s the warmest and then the temperatures just immediately dip down. Anyway! I got distracted.”

Techno and Wilbur nodded, intrigued by the story Dream was telling and wanting him to continue, but they stayed patient when he trailed off and got distracted. Wilbur was used to this, since Techno tended to do just that.

“I’m from Manberg,” Wilbur commented off-handedly. “It’s called L’Manberg now.”

Dream cleared his throat. “They were traveling and the blizzard had gotten really bad; they were attacked by some people from Manberg who they never found out, and then the one they called The Blood God, got lost in the storm and didn’t return home. The Emperor-bah, I’m just going to call him a king. It’s easier.” Wilbur and Techno nodded in agreement. “The King sent out many search parties, but even after months and months of searching, they couldn’t find him and it was deemed a lost cause. General Soot denied the option to take up the crown once again, and so he offered it to the youngest brother, who would take up the crown once the King either died or retired.

“Years and years passed without any word from The Blood God and everyone assumed that he was dead. A war had begun to break out between Manberg and the Antarctic Empire and the Empire was losing badly. Manberg had some really strong and smart soldiers, and they had even managed to outsmart General Soot! The youngest prince stayed with the King in the castle most of the time, very heavily guarded, and was being taught more about being King in case his father were to die in the war. During one of the battles, dubbed The Battle of Scorching Lands, the Blood God returned home. General Soot recognized him almost immediately since they had also been very close and you know, being brothers.” Dream waved his hand. “The Blood God helped defeat Manberg and the tides of war had changed, and eventually, the Antarctic Empire had won the war with the combined efforts of General Soot and The Blood God. But, that wasn’t enough for him.”

“What do you mean?” Wilbur asked, tilting his head. He seemed to be more calmed down near Dream now, being so intrigued by the story.

“He wanted power,” Dream responded in a low voice, “he wanted to rule, and he would stop at nothing until he got that power.”

“What did he do?” Techno asked, his ears perking up.

“He killed his brothers. He killed them so that there would be no competition for the throne and was planning on killing his father as well to secure his place, but his father could not be killed by him. Instead, The Blood God simply wore down his father for years until his father eventually had to retire out of fear of his own son and now The Blood God had the crown. He was the ruler of the Empire and made sure to make that clear. He instilled fear into his citizens, who already seemed to worship him due to him returning home from the war. They listened to his words out of sheer terror of what he could do, and thus he earned the title of ‘Blood God’. No one really knew if he was a god or not, but the general agreement was that he was.”

“He sounds like an ass,” Wilbur said coldly, crossing his arms. Techno gave Wilbur a look, but still said nothing.

Dream glanced around and then up at the sky. “And now we celebrate this festival in fear that he will strike us down for not celebrating his feats. That’s why Prince Eret doesn’t seem to like him all that much, since it’s just a celebration out of fear.”

“We only celebrate him in fear of what he will do to us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the big blocks of text i know it’s hard to read :(  
> thank you for all the kudos and comments they really make my day!  
> my twt and instagram are @/socks_oda


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the antarctic festival (pt.3)

“Are you three ready to light the lanterns now?” Phil asked as the boys came back to the spot they had agreed to meet back up at. He held a lit torch in his hand, the light from the fire defining the features on his face and bringing out the color of his eyes in the dark. The sun had begun to set a little while ago and it was mostly dark now, so the boys figured they should go back before they got lost. Next to him, a very young blond boy was holding onto his haori and biting his own fingers. The boy looked to be about six years old, and his clothes were all torn and raggedy. Near the one boy stood one of the Princes, Prince Tubbo. He was holding the boy’s other hand he wasn’t drooling all over.

Wilbur blinked, tilting his head in confusion at the new boys standing close to Phil, especially confused as to why the Prince of all people were here. “Well, yeah, but who’s with you?” he asked. He phrased it slightly differently in case he were to offend the blond boy, who was watching them with narrowed eyes.

Phil opened his mouth to speak, but the blond boy was more than capable to speak for himself, which was demonstrated with his loud voice and crude mannerisms. “My name’s Tommy,” he said snappily.

Techno and Dream stood there, paying the blond boy no mind and practically gaping at the Prince holding the ragged boy’s hand. Techno didn’t understand monarchy completely, but he knew this brunette boy, Tubbo, was a very special person.

Wilbur paid no mind to Tommy’s rude introduction. “Cool. I’m Wilbur.” He then turned to Phil, as if oblivious to the Prince next to the blond boy. “Why do we light lanterns on today?”

The Prince now spoke up. “We light the lanterns to send prayers to The Blood God,” he said and then smiled. He spoke with an accent that Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy had. He also seemed to be about the same age as Tommy. Why was the Prince out with no guards? “You have a prayer in your head as you light the lantern, and when it goes up in the sky, it’s supposed to reach him up in the Aether.”  
  


Techno must have looked confused, because Dream spoke up from next to him. “The Aether is sorta like an afterlife and where Gods live. The Blood God rules up there.”

Techno hummed in response and gave a nod. All of this information being piled up on top of him in such a short amount of time was overwhelming, admittedly, but he was excited to learn more. Plus, Dream seemed to know what he was talking about and was passionate about the subject, excited to have someone actually listening intently to his ramblings.

Tubbo clapped his hands together excitedly and smiled. “People are going to start lighting lanterns very soon, at the top of the hill. Eret and Nikki are probably already there, so we should get there as soon as we can. Oh, oh!” He pointed to Tommy. “We can go sit up with Eret, if you want.”

“Of course I want to,” Tommy said and huffed.

Tubbo grinned at his friend and grabbed his hand, the two kids beginning to walk forward, leaving the rest of the group to follow after them. Tubbo’s cloak trailed behind him, embroidered with the blue flag Techno kept seeing around the kingdom and lined with off-white fur. Whether it was real or not, Techno didn’t know, nor particularly care that much.

They made their way through the crowd, the people parting ways once they saw the young Prince with his best friend and group trailing behind him. Techno didn’t like the people watching them at this moment. It frightened him, somewhat. He knew that he wouldn’t be very accepted here and that was only confirmed when Phil had him wear the cloak to hide his piglin ears and tails. He wasn’t stupid.

He didn’t see many hybrids on the streets, and if he did, they were homeless and starving. Humans only ignored them. Survival of the fittest, he supposed.  
  


“Who is that blond boy?” Techno asked Phil as he walked to stand next to him. Phil seemed a little on edge, his lips set in a thin line and staring forward, though he looked down when Techno spoke.

“His name is Tommy,” he responded and nodded, “He needs somewhere to stay--he needs a home.”

Techno could relate to that, and found himself empathizing with the blond boy, rather tall for his age (or maybe Tubbo was just short? He wasn’t educated on how humans grew during their childhood), his hand in Tubbo’s as they walked and chattered happily. Tommy was boisterous; he had a laugh that caused people to look over, whether it be in annoyance or plain curiosity. Tubbo’s laugh was quieter than Tommy’s, but he seemed to get much louder in general when he was with Tommy. On stage, with his big brother and sister, he seemed to be a bit nervous. Now, he seemed confident in his steps and giggled loudly, not minding the looks the citizens gave him. What could they do anyway? He was a Prince and had so much more power over them yet still being just a child.

“You have a habit of picking up orphans, don’t you, Phil?” Wilbur joked light-heartedly, but there was some sort of undertone that Techno couldn’t pick up from it.

Phil cracked up at that. “Yeah, I guess so. That means that the three of you will have to help out around the house.” He rubbed the little bit of stubble on his chin, thinking for a moment. “We also have to expand the farm. Get some more plants in there, especially once spring comes. That will be the prime time for planting,” he thought out loud, before going quiet and just humming.

They walked in silence for a while, listening to the mischievous giggles of Tubbo and Tommy just a bit up ahead, perhaps they were scheming? They were speaking in low voices with each other, so Techno wasn’t able to make out their words that well. There were people out on the streets playing music and singing, which caught Wilbur’s attention. Coins were tossed into the guitar cases that sat next to them while they played, sitting on the fountain with legs crossed. Other children ran past, shrieking in delight and holding treats from one of the booths, presumably nearby, in their grimy little hands. The village felt much more lively than it did on a normal day.

They climbed up a hill and towards a spot where Eret, Sparklez, and Nikki were standing, fumbling with the lanterns and matches. Tubbo smiled and ran up to his siblings and king regent, talking excitedly about lighting those said lanterns. Techno could make out that this was his first year he’d been able to go out and see the townspeople light the lanterns.

Dream looked up at the sky, towards the stars. “You know,” he started, looking towards Techno, who glanced at him when he began to speak, “the lanterns in the sky, once they get really far away, they look like little stars in the night sky. People think that if you see a shooting star in the sky, it means that the Blood God has answered a prayer. Isn’t that neat?”

Techno nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.”  
  


Phil brought them to a spot a bit ways away from the royal family, sitting down on the soft grass and patting the spot next to him to get the three boys to sit down, and so they did. They made somewhat of a circle, Phil facing Dream and Techno facing Wilbur. “They are going to pass around lanterns here in a moment. They’re just waiting for more people to come up and around here.” He looked around. “Usually, the whole village is here. That seems to be the same for today.”

And Phil was right. There were many people climbing up the hill, setting down blankets and baskets they had brought with them specifically for this occasion. Quiet murmurs building up around them as they waited for the guards to pass around the lanterns to the townspeople.

A few minutes later, they were each given a lantern to light and Phil looked towards the boys that were sitting with them. He pulled out a flint and steel from his pocket, holding his own lantern in his other hand. 

He showed them how to light a flint and steel and showed them where to light the lantern, then set it down, telling them that they had to wait for Prince Eret to light his lantern first before they could light their own.

After he had said that, Prince Eret stood up from his spot and held a lit lantern in both of his hands. He closed his eyes and mumbled under his breath, presumably a prayer, but not one could hear him. He looked almost ethereal standing there under the moonlight, his features illuminated by the red glow of the lantern. The light shone off of the many expensive jewelry he wore to show off his status, most prominently on his silver, glittering crown with an emerald embedded in the front.

He then let go of the lantern and watched it drift up into the sky. Many other lanterns started to make their way into the sky, trailing after Eret’s lantern. The sky seemed somewhat illuminated with all of the lights.

Phil passed them the flint and steel to light their lanterns and then nodded, speaking softly, “Say a prayer.” 

Techno lit his lantern and held it carefully in his hands, almost scared that he’d harm it. It was very pretty and reminded him of the glowstone in the Nether. He closed his eyes, but found himself coming at a blank. He still felt as though he didn’t know enough to make a prayer, so instead he just tried to listen in on the mumbles around him.

It was hard to tune in, but he was only able to hear the last bit of Phil’s mumbling. Something along the lines of “-sorry, my dear son,” and then the lantern being let loose into the sky. Techno didn’t understand at all what that meant, but he tried not to dwell on it too much and returned to focusing on a prayer.

He took a moment to think before sighing and whispering very lowly so no one could hear him. “I’m going to be honest- I don’t know how this works. Um, keep Phil, Dream and Wilbur safe for me, okay? I think they’re all I have.” 

Techno let go of the lantern, holding his breath as he felt his stomach twist with a familiar anxiety. The lantern, as well as Dream’s and Wilbur’s, floated away into the night sky along with many, many others. They all sat in silence, necks craned up towards the sky as they watched in awe of the red colored lanterns glowing with that red color from the light of the fire inside of it.

_ The lanterns are very pretty. I wasn’t expecting this. _

__ _ I agree. _

“Techno! Techno, look!” Dream said with a gasp of happiness, grabbing Techno’s arm and pointing up to the sky. “A shooting star!”

If his reaction had been any later, he would have missed it, but he managed to spot the shooting star out of the corner of his eye.

Technoblade tried to ignore the dread settling into his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow my twitter, @socks_oda  
> thank you for all the kudos and comments, it really makes my day! especially hearing theories :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> talking to myself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw- description of wounds

The lights were dim, apart from torches placed on the wall and lit with blue fire, only lighting the area it was closest to. Up ahead of him, there was a throne of dark colored skulls and bones with a rather regal man sitting on top of it with his legs crossed and a gleaming sword in his hands.   
  


The man wore an expensive looking top decorated with lace and with many buttons and clasps on the front in silver, shining with the light of the blue fire. A cravat was around his neck, decorated with a black bow, and a brooch with the royal family symbol of the Antarctic Empire that Eret had. His shoulders were decorated with silver epaulettes. His sleeves were cuffed, fitted tightly to his body, like the rest of the top. Almost similar to a military uniform. His scarred hands covered in expensive rings varying with many precious metals that Techno hadn’t even seen before. He was wearing shorts, or rather, pants tucked into his thigh high black boots with two buckles near the top of the boot and similar brooch-like accessories. Near the heel of the boot, there was some sort of engraving that Techno couldn’t make out. He also had a royal blue cloak lined with off-white fur, all too similar to Eret’s and Tubbo’s, draped lazily and half-way off his arms.

He had extremely long pink hair that draped over the skull throne, not up in a ponytail or braid, but still brushed out smooth and soft. Tusks protruded from his bottom lip and he had long, almost floppy ears, similar to Techno’s. On top of his head sat a spiked silver crown with many jewels embedded in it, glinting in the light. The sword was a purple-ish light to it, jewels also embedded into the hilt of it.

Red eyes watched him boredly, waiting for Techno to make his move.

Techno stayed still, clenching his fist at his side and glancing around. He could hear little whispers all around him. He had been hearing them very often now, ever since the festival a night ago. It was similar to the whispers you heard when you were close to soul sand, but in the dim light, he couldn’t spot any soul sand nearby. He couldn’t decipher most of the whispers since they were all jumbled together, but, occasionally, he was able to make out a few words of no importance.

The man on the throne pointed his sword towards Techno, obviously impatient with the boy just standing there and doing nothing. “You, boy,” his voice was deep and monotonous, similar to Techno’s although he was just a child so his voice was higher pitched. 

Techno took a step forward, then paused when the man stood up from the throne of bones, then gestured for Techno to follow him. His hair and cloak dragged along the floor as he walked, and the heels on his boots clicked, echoing loudly through the barren throne room.

The man turned towards a door and pushed it open. It led to a long, dark hallway with the same blue torches as before. Techno paused and watched the man suspiciously instead of following him through the doorway, only causing the man to look back at him with an irritated look. “I have no intentions of hurting you,” he said flatly, “I can’t hurt you inside of your head.”

Techno said nothing, only scowling and following after the tall man. It only got darker as they walked and the silence between them was tense, unlike the silence between him and Phil, which was a comfortable silence, albeit sometimes a bit awkward.

They passed many paintings in the hallway depicting this man with pink hair, all too similar to Techno himself. It was hard to make out the details in the paintings because of how dark it was, but he thought they depicted the man in battle with his signature sword he held so carelessly in his clawed hands. The man laughing in delight as he slaughtered his enemies.

Technoblade shivered at the thought.

“You’re thinking about Phil,” the man said after a moment, not even sparing a glance to the boy trailing behind him.

He said nothing, ears pressed flat against his head and feeling defensive. 

The man snickered and then stopped walking, Techno almost running right into him. He looked down at the boy. “Phil is a nice man. Too nice. That’s his downfall.”

Techno scowled. “How do you know him? Who even are you?”

The man paused, the pulled Techno to stand next to him. They were at the end of the hallway now, since it just ended in a dead end. There were no doors to other rooms beside them or nearby, just a large, full-length mirror decorated with silver at the brims. The man stood behind Techno and leaned down slightly, putting his hands on Techno’s shoulders.

He could feel the coldness through his shirt.

His reflection stared back at him, wide red eyes slightly fearful of the man behind him. He was wearing his normal poet’s blouse with his haori draped over his shoulders and his pants and boots. Except, there were many rips in his clothing and blood splattered on the precious white fabric of his ruffled shirt. A large gash across his stomach was visible due to the rip in his clothes was bleeding profusely, but he felt no pain. It was as if he wasn’t in his own body. His shoulder length hair ratty and cut unevenly. He breathed in sharply seeing the cuts on his face and getting a better look at the large gash in his stomach. 

Techno stepped back in fright, but he only hit the man’s chest. The man gripped him tightly, his nails digging into his shoulder blades and held him in place.

The man stared at him through the mirror, his deep red eyes very unsettling to Techno. His pupils were pinpoints and his smile was sharp.

“You’re me.”  
  


Techno frowned, a pool of nervousness and dread in his stomach. The whispers in his head seemed to get louder as the man leaned closer to Techno. “I don’t...I don’t understand.” He looked down at the floor, at the pink hair and fur of the royal blue coat. “I don’t understand,” he repeated.

The man grabbed Techno’s chin, sharp nails lightly scratching his face, and forced his head to look back at the mirror. Techno held his breath, staring at the two of them. This man seemed to be him, at least appearance-wise, but older. The same red eyes, one pair narrowed and one wide. The same floppy ears and sharp teeth (though Techno’s tusks hadn’t grown in yet). The same clawed hands. The same soft, pink hair.

Techno tried to push himself away from the man, but he had a strong grip on the small boy and kept him still. Techno breathed in and out through his nose, too scared to say or do anything. Trying to mask his fear didn’t work, because the man only looked at him and laughed almost mockingly.

“Do you know of The Battle of The Scorching Lands?” The man asked, relaxing his grip slightly.

Techno breathed in sharply, a panic settling in his stomach. “You’re..You’re..”  
  


The man--The Blood God--gave a nod, then grinned with all his sharp teeth and tusks. “You’re a very special boy, though you probably don’t realize it yet.” He let go of Techno’s chin and took his hands in his own. 

“I…” Techno frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You have power over these people--these tyrants,” he said, staring at the smaller hands in his own scarred hands decorated with rings, and an unreadable expression on his face, “you’re blessed.”

Techno scowled. “This doesn’t make sense. Who are these ‘tyrants’? How do you know Phil?” He panicked when the God let go of his hands and began to walk away. “What did you mean when you said I’m you? Who...who are we?”

“We’ll speak again soon.”

“Wait-!”

Techno woke up with a start to see a six year-old with blond on him and poking at his cheeks to get him to wake up. It worked, of course, but Techno was not in the mood for it.

“Technooo! Oh, you’re awake!” Tommy grinned, but yelped in fright when Techno shoved him off of the bed. Techno was slightly shaking, still utterly confused about his dream. He wanted to just push it aside as just another weird nightmare, but the cold hands on his shoulders and deep voice felt so real and unsettling. The whispers in his head were loud, but they weren’t focused on the dream, only the little boy, his little brother, sitting on Techno’s floor, still with a lopsided grin plastered on his chubby face. “Come on! Phil wants us to help him make a farm.”

Techno squinted at the light shining through his windows, through the curtains. He sighed and looked down at Tommy. “Okay. I’ll be outside in a second.”

Tommy nodded and got up, darting out of Techno’s room. How did he have so much energy? Techno didn’t know.

He sighed again and rubbed his eyes, still admittedly unsettled. He figured he should just try not to think about it, try to ignore the whispers growing louder, and spend time with his new family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the kudos and comments! i love reading comments, especially theories :)  
> follow my twt @socks_oda  
> (please don’t spam comments with “chat” memes ty!)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw- violence and disassociation

Techno had taken quite a liking to farming. In fact, he was still enjoying it even when he had two boys pestering him constantly and slacking off while the oldest one watched and laughed, then continued on with his own side of the field. He gots annoyed by them, of course, but they were just trying to have fun and he didn’t blame them for that. Farming was repetitive and somewhat boring, but that’s why Techno liked it. It gave him time to think while his body went on auto-pilot and went on the process of tilling dirt, making holes in the soil, dumping a few seeds into each hole, covering the hole, then dribbling water onto it.

Phil had given each of them a makeshift hoe made out of wood from the surrounding forest and stone that Phil had kept in safe-keeping from his few mining trips. He told them he wasn’t planning on going on mining trips since they had to have someone around with them. After all, they were just kids. Wilbur, although being the oldest, was hardly a teenager.

Phil brought them outside the cottage and to a grassy area that had been plucked of weeds and overgrown plants the night before. If they were going to have a family of four, they certainly needed a bigger farm than they had. The ‘farm’ they had was hardly a farm; not very well taken care of and tiny in size. He instructed each of them to a certain part of the area--of the field for them to till dirt, then showed them how to till said dirt. After three confident nods, he sent them off.

Once they had tilled a decent portion of the field, Phil went inside and then came back out with watering cans and packets of seeds.

“I went to the village to pick some up while you all were sleeping,” he had said, nodding to himself, “I made sure to pick ones that will fare well in the cold weather because it’s bound to get cold here soon. The temperatures usually drop drastically in the next few weeks or so.”

“This will be my first winter in the Empire. L’manberg usually doesn’t get super cold. It gets chilly, yeah, and there’s occasionally snow, but nothing like what you’ve described, Phil,” Wilbur had said.

“It gets freezing,” Tommy piped up. “I saw a homeless man get frostbite last year. It was weird.”

The older three had shared a look, then Phil gave them all the seeds and watering cans, showing them how to plant each type of seed and emphasizing the importance of not underwatering or overwatering the crops, or else they’d die.

Now, Techno was sitting in the grass with a quarter bag of carrot seeds in his lap. He took a break once his hands had blisters on them and his shins were burning. Yet, he still felt energized and mostly well. The slight breeze coming through the forest did help to cool him down, though, and he was grateful for that.

“Tommy! Tommy! Put the watering can down! Put it down!” Wilbur shrieked from the other side of the field, running away from the stupidly tall little boy holding a watering can in his grimy little hands and running after Wilbur. Water was spilling out of it as he ran, getting on his clothes, but Tommy obviously didn’t care. 

Wilbur ran over to Techno, who looked up at him with an arched brow. 

“You gotta protect me--he’s coming--oh shit!” Wilbur gasped for breath and ran away again once Tommy got close. “How the hell are you so fast?!”

Tommy giggled and continued to sprint after his older friend.

“He’s like, two years old. You can outrun him,” Techno called out and stood up from his spot on the ground, grabbing the packet of seeds and his hoe. He watched the two run until Wilbur tripped over a rock and fell onto the ground, giving Tommy the perfect opportunity to dump water on him. There wasn’t much water left in the water can, since most of it had fallen out while Tommy was running and was all over Tommy’s shirt and pants. Still, Wilbur screamed and covered his face.

Techno laughed and went to the porch, where Phil was sitting and taking a break as well. He had a bowl in his lap with clear cubes in them--ice cubes, if he remembered correctly. Phil took one out of the bowl and put it into his mouth, waving once Techno came up the steps of the porch.

“What are you doing?” Techno asked, stopping in front of the chair that Phil was sitting in, hunching over slightly. His bucket hat cast a shadow over his face.

“Cooling off,” Phil said simply. “I’m older than the lot of you, I don’t have as much energy.”

Techno rolled his eyes. “Old man.”

Phil laughed. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right, mate.” He smiled at the pink-haired boy in front of him, whose pointy ear flicked and watched him with those deep red eyes. It was somewhat unnerving. “Did you need something?”

“I want to go into the forest,” Techno said, pausing for a moment to think of the word, “take a walk.”

“Oh, sure. We can go, I’ll go tell the other t-”

“By myself.”

Phil arched an eyebrow. “You’re a little young for that.”

“I won’t go far,” Techno promised. “I just want to look around. Please? Farming is fun, yeah, but I want to do something else.” It wasn’t technically a lie. Those whispers in the back of his head seemed particularly loud today and he couldn’t take his mind off of the strange dream he had. The tall pink-haired man with the spiky crown and red eyes, all too similar to Techno himself. It still didn’t make any sense to him.

Phil thought for a moment before he sighed and nodded, standing up. “Yeah, okay. Bring your sword with you and don’t go far or stay out too late--monsters will come out once it’s dark, so be back once the sun starts to set. And, don’t touch any strange plants that you don’t know. Okay?”

Techno nodded. “Mhm. Thanks, Phil.”

Phil nodded and patted Techno’s shoulder. “Mhm. We’ll probably go inside here in a few. Just so you know.”

“Okay.” Techno dipped his head, then hurried on inside and towards his room, where he grabbed his sword and held it in his hand tightly, put on his haori (which he had left inside since he didn’t want to get dirt on it),then ran back outside and to the edge of the forest, where it darkened because of the many leaves and branches blocking the sunlight.

Tommy ran up to him and grabbed his haori in his dirty little fist. “Technoblade! What are you doing?”

Techno looked down at the blond boy, just wanting to get away and be alone with his thoughts. “I’m going to go explore,” he responded, moving towards the trees.

“Can I come?”

“No.”

“Awhhh. Why not?” Tommy pouted, and Techno could feel himself getting more and more impatient.

“You’re too young. Go play with Wilbur or something.”

“I’m five!”  
  


Techno pulled his haori out of Tommy’s hand and walked away, rolling his eyes. “I’ll be home, uh, soon. We can mess with Wilbur later.”

“Bully him!”

Techno blinked, not sure what that meant. “Um, yeah. Sure. We can bully him later.” He ruffled Tommy’s hair. “Bye.” Then ran off into the woods, hearing a shout of glee behind him from the little boy.

Once he was a decent amount in the forest, Techno relaxed and sighed, listening to the voices drown out the sounds of the wildlife. They only seemed to get louder now that he was alone in a mostly quiet area.

He looked down at the sword in his hand, the gold glinting with the bit of sunlight that peeked through the branches and leaves. It fit in his hand perfectly and comfortably--as if it was always meant to be there.

He thought back to the stories Dream had told him about the Blood God, about him being an incredibly strong warrior and turning the tides of a losing war. Taking out entire battalions with only his netherite sword and sheer willpower. It was almost inspiring, motivating--almost. He thought back to Dream telling him how he slaughtered his own family just because of his thirst for power.

The voices were loud now, a constant ringing in his ears. Their words jumbled together, making it hard to understand what they were trying to communicate with him. Words in both English and Piglin.

He hoped there would be a moment of silence.

Techno dragged his sword on the ground as he walked, passing by large and small trees alike, bushes with red berries, poison ivy, weeds, flowers. Green, a lot of green, but not all green.

Stones were beneath his feet, sending little sparks of pain that he simply ignored. It was like the dirt that got under his nails when he was farming. A small inconvenience, annoying at most. He didn’t mind the pain, though. It kept him grounded.

Something he needed as the ringing and jumbled words grew ever louder and preventing him from trying to clear his head and think. All he wanted was a moment of silence.

He walked into a clearing where the trees were tall and their branches, full of dull green leaves, jutted out and blocked out most of the sunlight. In the clearing was a pig, squealing out to nothing, lying on the ground helplessly. As he stepped closer, he could see its leg bent at an unnatural angle and many cuts and scrapes that bled.

The voices were too loud to handle now, their words forming together in some sort of chant. Would he ever get a moment of silence?

Techno looked down at the sword in his hand; he could almost see the blood coating the shiny, precious metal. He gripped the hilt so hard his knuckles turned white and stepped towards the helpless animal. Its squeals grew louder, squeals of fright at the hybrid coming closer and closer to it.

_ Blood for the Blood God _ , they chanted.

He looked at the bleeding animal and then towards his sword. It would be so easy to just end its life right now put it out of its misery--

_ Blood for the Blood God, _ they cried.

It would be oh, so easy. One stab to a fatal spot and it’d be gone. Maybe if he fulfilled their request, there’d be silence again. Techno raised his sword as he got closer, the terribly loud sounds of the voices blocking out the squeals of the little creature. I just want it to be quiet again. He raised his sword and--

_ Blood for the Blood God, _ they screamed.

The piglet went still, blood splattering onto the clothes he promised not to get dirty. The deep red color, the same color as the pink-haired man’s eyes. The eyes that watched him knowingly and with malicious intent.

Techno raised his sword again and plunged it deep into the piglets flesh, the blood soaking into the clothes he promised not to get dirty. It made no noise or movement, no reaction at all.

Techno raised his sword again and plunged it deep into the piglets flesh, the blood staining the clothes he promised not to get dirty. The voices didn’t quiet down, they didn’t give him the silence he craved.

He dropped to his knees and stared at his blade, which was coated in that deep red color of the pink-haired man’s eyes. He leaned on his sword, which still pierced the animal’s skin, and let out a breath. He closed his eyes and sat for a while, longing the sound of silence once more.

Later, once it was too dark for any child to be outside and alone, Phil would find a dissociated, wide eyed Techno covered in pigs blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the kudos and comments :) i especially like hearing theories  
> follow my twt @/socks_oda


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the blood god’s song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mentions of violence

There was a hand in front of him. A warm hand, a friendly hand.

A familiar hand.

“Techno, Techno, are you okay?” the person in front of him asked. He couldn’t make out who this person was, only the feeling of familiarity calming him somewhat. This person was safe; this person wouldn’t hurt him. “Son, please respond...I need to know if you’re okay.”

The desperation in this person’s voice worried him. Had he done something wrong? It felt as though he couldn’t make a coherent thought, his limbs felt like jelly. How long had he been sitting here? Drenched in blood? Was it his own blood? No..it couldn’t be.

He looked down at himself (was it himself?), seeing an unfamiliar hand gripping tightly onto the hilt of a bloodied sword and another one gripping the blade of the sword. The sword itself was embedded in the body of a piglet, which was the source of all the blood.

Blood staining the brown pants he (was it him?) wore and the haori draped over his shoulders (my shoulders?) and the poet’s blouse he wore (my clothes?) as an undershirt.

Blood. Blood everywhere. Red in his vision.

Techno blinked and looked at the man in front of him. The feeling of familiarity was still there, but he just couldn’t recall anything about this man. Still, he felt trustworthy and safe. Trustworthy and safe. A good man.

The hand was reached out in front of him, fingers outstretched and trembling. Was he scared? Why was he scared?

A smaller hand reached out to grab the familiar hand and held on tightly. Blood that had yet to dry from gripping the blade of the sword so tightly, yet there was no pain. 

He didn’t feel anything.

“You’re okay,” the man told him, rubbing his thumb over the smaller hand and gently pulling on the hand so he stood up. “We’re going to go home, Techno.”

_ Home. _

“We’re going to go home. We don’t have to talk just yet if you’re not ready.”

Techno looked down at the piglet and the sword still piercing its fragile little corpse. He reached out and grabbed the golden sword, staring at the tiny glint of light it gave off, and held it close to him.

His senses seemed to somewhat return to him, being able to feel a dull pain in the hand (his hand.) that gripped the blade. There was a gash, he could tell, but the man (Phil. Phil.) didn’t say anything even with the blood on his own hand now. His arms and legs were sore and ached, feeling so incredibly sluggish and tired.

“We’re going to go home and have some dinner. Wilbur cooked tonight, with the help of Tommy. I’m sure it tastes great.”

Listening to the man’s voice kept him grounded, drowned out the whispers. It seemed a lot more quiet with him near, with him speaking in an accented, soft tone. Phil was nice, Phil was trustworthy.

Phil was warm. He was so cold.

_ It’s so cold. _

His clothes stuck to his body, the stench of blood filling his nose. It made him feel squeamish, sick to his stomach.

_ I killed that little animal. _

_ I killed it.  _

_ Why did I kill it? _

He earned no response.

“They made potato soup. You like that one a lot, I can tell.”

Techno said nothing for a long while, just letting Phil lead him through the forest with careful, guided footsteps. It was hard to see anything clearly, it being so dark and the moonlight hardly peeking through the dense foliage. But, Phil seemed to know where he was going, and lead him with knowing footsteps. He’s probably been here many, many times before.

_ I’m so cold. I’m so tired. _

_  
Don’t you want to be free?_

  
_I want to be warm._

_ Phil’s warm. _

_ Phil. _

Techno glanced up at his guardian, who watched him with knowing blue eyes. Techno looked back down at the path beneath him, feeling tiny sparks of pain as he stepped over twigs and rocks.

“I killed it,” he finally said, though it was with hesitance. “I’m sorry.”

Phil didn’t speak, looking at him with sad eyes before continuing on the path ahead. It winded through trees, going uphill slightly. There were sounds of cracking bones somewhere in the forest, causing Phil to tense and walk faster.

“I don’t know why I did it,” Techno continued, keeping his small hand in Phil’s own hand, afraid to let go. There were monsters out here. Monsters that thirsted for blood. Monsters all too similar to himself.

“You weren’t in the right state of mind. It’s not your fault,” Phil said softly, unsheathing the sword at his side and keeping it held up in case any monster were to attack them in the dark. They were close, by the sounds of it.

Techno glanced behind himself nervously. “What does that mean?”

Phil thought for a second. “You weren’t yourself,” he said finally.

Techno, understanding well enough, gave a small nod and looked down at his bloodstained clothes. “I ruined the clothes you got for me.”

“That’s okay, don’t worry. We can wash them. If the bl- if the stains are still there, we can go to the tailor and get some more made.”

“You got them for me. I ruined them.”

“That’s okay.”

“I got them dirty.”

“That’s okay.”

“I promised not to.”

“That’s okay.” Phil gave him a reassuring smile.

It did not reassure Techno.

The sight of blue fire greeted him when he came to his senses. The same blue fire in the corridor he had met the pink-haired man in. Looking around the place, it was a place he hadn’t been before, but it felt familiar. 

It was a bedroom. A bedroom with high ceilings and expensive carpeting. A large bed was in the middle of the room, an embroidered cloak sitting on top of the sheets and quilt. He was too far away to make out the scenes on the quilt and what the embroidery on the cloak was, but it seemed to resemble the flag of the Empire.

His gaze shifted towards a window with blue stained glass, overlooking what looked to be the terrain of the Nether. The sight of netherrack was one he had hoped to never ever see again. The same pink-haired man sat at the window elegantly, gazing out at the lava lake outside.

He was stripped of his cloak, which was on his bed, but he still wore the same outfit he had on when Techno had first seen him. His long hair pooled over his shoulders and onto the ground beneath the window suit, which had embroidered cushions that he sat on. The Blood God glanced over at him, then returned his gaze to look out the window. “Phil is a nice man,” he said.

Techno walked over to the window and stood off to the side, not daring to sit next to the man. “Yeah...you talk about him like you know him.”

“I do know him. I’ve known him for a very long time. Longer than you.”

Techno frowned. “What do you mean? You’ve been dead for hundreds of years..”

The Blood God laughed and waved his hand. “I don’t die.” He looked at the child. “‘Technoblade never dies’, that’s what they said.”

Techno scowled. “How do you know Phil?” he asked persistently, trying to ignore the ominous words of the Blood God.

The Blood God looked outside the window, his expression turning solemn. “He’s my father. We were supposed to rule the Empire together, did you know that?”

“Wh...what..?”

“I asked him to rule with me, since he was the only one I had at that point. My brothers were dead, he was the only family member I had left and..he was scared. Scared of his own son.” He fiddled with the rings on his hand, lips set in a thin line. Neither of them spoke for a long moment. “ _ We _ were supposed to rule the Empire together.” The Blood God scowled. “It wasn’t my fault that they died. I couldn’t help it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You will. Those..those voices are with you now. I heard them once, too. I’ve heard them my entire life up until you, then it got quiet. I finally got my silence.

_ I got my silence. _

“The day I returned home, they were loud. I couldn’t think. They demanded blood. They demanded blood to be spilled, I just...wanted it to be silent again. You understand.”

The image of the mutilated piglet came back into his mind. It felt like it happened so long ago, but it had only been a few hours in reality. “I do…”

“So, I did what they told me to. Those weeks, like you’ve heard in the stories, I single-handedly turned the tides of the war. I was blinded by my bloodlust and killed so, so many people.” He looked over at Techno. “I was...happy. I enjoyed it.

“The war was won, I protected my people. My people celebrated in honour of me and they loved me! They loved me! Their rightful heir had returned home and I was determined to have my crown back. Surely after helping them in a losing war, I’d be crowned. I’d finally have the coronation I had been dreaming of my entire life. But no. My crown, _my power,_ was taken from me. My brother,  _ the general who sent all of those innocent people into a war to be killed _ , got the crown. He was to be king. Of course, they weren’t happy about that. My hatred and the overwhelming screaming constantly brought me to the point of breaking. And I did. I snapped and killed both of my brothers at their request so there would be no other heir for the throne. The crown was finally mine.”

Techno said nothing, looking down uncomfortably.  
  


The Blood God sighed. “When I was little, before I was whisked away from my home, Phil promised me that we’d rule the Empire together. I was his favorite, after all. We were the closest. But, when I was finally old enough to rule, he refused. Said that I was a monster.”

_ I’m a monster, Phil. I don’t know why I killed it. I ruined the clothes you got me. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry-- _

“There was a song he used to sing to me when I was just a little shoat, younger than you are now. The voices would be loud, and I wasn’t able to sleep. I’d sneak into his room late at night and be welcomed with open arms and he’d sing to me until I fell asleep. He was the only one the voices liked, the only one they wanted alive no matter what.

“He’d sing to me until I fell asleep in his arms, warm and safe. I’m so cold, constantly. Even with the warmth of the Nether, I’m cold. I’m so cold. With Phil, it’s warm.” The Blood God sighed. “I miss my father.”

Techno looked down and stayed silent, only moving when the Blood God beckoned him over to sit next to him at the window seat. He sat down, scooting away from the tall man, who huffed a laugh then looked out the window.

He began to sing, a melancholy song in another language that Techno didn’t understand, his voice low and raspy. His gaze remained on the lava lake outside the stained glass window, his expression despondent.

Perhaps he was misunderstood.

Perhaps he was just as much of a monster as everyone made him out to be.

  
Maybe, Phil was right.

Still, hearing the Blood God’s song calmed him in a way that he couldn’t describe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
> thank you for all the kudos and comments  
> follow my twitter @socks_oda


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nightmares

Falling asleep, more so, falling asleep at a good time, was a difficult thing for Techno, especially now with the added fear of facing the Blood God in his dreams and the whispers filling him with dread and anxiety constantly, leading him on about something they collectively thought would be funny.

_ Tommy hid your textbooks! _

_ Wilbur left the house! Go get him! _

And, the worst one. 

_ Phil hates you. _

So, he found himself pacing around his room with worry, chewing on the inside of his cheeks until they bled. The taste wasn’t pleasant, but the pain from it seemed to keep him grounded and calm him down in a strange way. He fought against the urge to go check on everyone, since they were likely asleep (apart from Wilbur; he could faintly hear the strumming of a guitar in the room next to his. Wilbur had since moved into the room next to Techno’s since they were more trustworthy of each other) and he didn’t want to bother them.

Still, he worried.

Techno gently pushed open the door of his bedroom and peeked out into the hallway, his ears flicking and trying to listen for any other noise. He stepped out slowly, trying not to make any sound as not to alert anyone.

The light shone dimly under the crack of Wilbur’s bedroom, and the sounds of the guitar could be heard more clearly, but it was still fairly quiet. Wilbur was like him, unable to sleep in newfound places and wary of the people around him. Although they both had gotten to the point of trusting Tommy (he was just a child, what was the worst he could do?) and Phil (a skilled survivalist. The shimmering diamond sword he took when he went out deep into the night worried them).

He quite liked Wilbur. They had their moments in the few weeks of knowing each other where they bickered and fought, usually over small things that didn’t matter and the next day they’d pretend as though it never happened. Wilbur liked to share his songs with all of them, taking criticism from Phil when he offered it and laughing when Tommy piped up with something along the lines of “that was so cool! Teach me how to do that!”. 

Techno stayed by Wilbur’s door for a few moments, listening to the sounds of his guitar. He did not sing tonight.

He moved away and walked down the hallway, pausing when he heard voices inside of Phil’s room, moving to press his ear against the wooden door to hear better. He didn’t want to eavesdrop, but the voices in his head sure didn’t care, only egging him on.

It was quiet, somewhat hard to hear even with his heightened sense of hearing.

“Phil...Philza,” a small voice whined, sounding frightened. It was Tommy, sounding far too quiet than he usually was. It was a strange change, since Tommy was pretty loud more often than not.

“Hm? What’s wrong, mate?” Phil’s voice, groggy and tired, likely half-awake as well. It was pitch black outside, so Techno could only assume that this was very late in the night. He didn’t know.  
  


“Had a nightmare...I can’t sleep again, I’m too scared.”

“Oh.” Phil sighed, Techno just barely heard it. “That’s all right, come up here. What was it about?”

There was a sniffle from Tommy. He might’ve been crying, but Techno couldn’t tell from just sound alone. “There was this big scary man, I couldn’t see that well. It was--it was dark.” He hiccuped, confirming to Techno that was indeed crying. “B-but he had this big purple sword, I think, and--and he said something, but I couldn’t tell what it meant. Um, different language. He--he stabbed me with that sword and it felt so real...It hurt. I could feel it, it hurt so bad.”

“Shh,” Phil said softly when Tommy began to cry harder. “It was just a dream…”

“It hurt so bad,” Tommy repeated, sniffling as he cried. “It felt like I was dying.”

“Shh, shh...come here, mate.” A pause, then shuffling as Tommy’s crying softened slightly. “There was a song that my mother used to sing to me, that I used to sing to my..old friend when I was younger. He suffered a lot of challenges in his life, and liked it when I sang to him. It calmed him down.”

Tommy sniffled again. “Who’s your friend?” he asked.

Phil didn’t respond for a moment, but when he spoke, it seemed distant. “That’s a story for another time, okay?”

“Okay...can you sing to me?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” Techno could practically see Phil smiling. He frowned, a twinge of jealousy in his chest, but he tried to ignore it. 

Phil cleared his throat and began to sing. It wasn’t as far good as Wilbur’s singing voice, raspy and off-tune. Techno strained his ears to hear more clearly, the song sounding so familiar to him…

Techno’s eyes widened and he stumbled backwards, a spark of anxiety running through him. This was the song the Blood God had sung to him those few weeks ago in his dream. He fell back into the wall and cringed at the loud thump it made, quickly scurrying off to his own room and closing the door.

He stood there in silence for a moment, the strumming of Wilbur’s guitar coming to a stop. He breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm himself down.

The Blood God really had been right. He wasn’t lying or trying to get into Techno’s head; he was right. 

“Techno? You okay?” Wilbur asked, knocking on Techno’s door.

He let out a breath and looked down at the floor. “Yes. I’m okay.”

They really had known each other.

“I’ve been thinking,” Phil said hesitantly at the dinner table, moving the food around on his plate. As much as he told the boys to not play with their food, he sure seemed to do it a lot. Especially when he was stalling. Wilbur would call him out for being a hypocrite, whatever that meant. “Wilbur, how would you like to be enrolled in school at the village?”

Phil had explained school to Techno before, he understood pretty well what it was. It sounded like it would be beneficial to him in his own little quest to learn as much about the Overworld as he could. If he wasn’t farming or training with his sword, he was reading all he could about the monsters and wildlife of the Overworld. Of course, it was a bit hard since he was still learning to read, but he was determined to learn. He was excited to learn. He was happy to learn. 

Techno wanted to go to school. 

Instead of saying anything, he stayed silent and listened to the conversation play out, picking at his supper.

Wilbur looked up from his plate and gave a half-hearted shrug. “I dunno.”

“Well, the school season started back up a few weeks ago and there’s a few schools scattered around the Empire--kingdom. And the village isn’t too far from here, just a bit of a walk through the forest, you know, so it wouldn’t be too bad to get there everyday. Oh, plus, I was thinking that we could get a horse. It would be easier for me when going out for materials and, for you, getting to school. I think it would be very beneficial for you.”

Wilbur slowly nodded. “I mean, yeah.” He shrugged again. “Most kids my age are in school, anyway.”

Phil nodded as well. “And we can enroll Tommy for kindergarten, too.”

“Yeah!” Tommy piped up. “I can go to school with Wilby. I get to tell everyone about my two cool brothers.” He grinned.

“Wilbur,” Wilbur corrected, rolling his eyes light heartedly. 

Techno looked between the three of them, keeping his expression neutral, although he felt a bit disappointed. He already knew the answer to his question. “What about me?”

“Techno can go, too, right?” Tommy asked. “Aw man, that would be so cool. No one would try to mess with me. I mean, of course, ‘cos I’m just that strong and--”

“Techno can’t go,” Wilbur said.

Even though he knew the inevitable, Techno couldn’t help but feel jealous and a bit angry. He held onto the fork in his hand, trying to keep his neutral expression.

Phil sighed, his hands fidgeting. “Yeah, I’m sorry mate.” He looked towards Techno. “It’s too dangerous for that.”

Techno scowled, only growing more upset as the voices began to get louder in his head. He glanced down at the fork in his hand. “It’s not fair.”

“It’s not,” Phil agreed.

“I’m just like any other kid.”

“You’re not,” Wilbur said slowly, frowning when he realized that wasn’t the right answer. 

Techno glared at him, his grip only tightening. “I’m just as smart as you, I just look different.” His ear flicked and he glowered. “I can just go with my cloak on, right? That’s what we do anyway when we go there. It’s stupid that I have to hide it anyway.”

“It’s too dangerous, Techno,” Phil said. “I--the only reason you come with me to the village is because we usually go there in short periods of time. Do you know what they’d do to you if someone saw your ears? Your tail?”

“Prince Eret is trying to fix that, you know. Dream told me. So people like me won’t get hurt for simply existing.”

Phil sighed. “Yes, he is trying to outlaw hate crimes. But, he can’t put those laws into place until he’s King. And even then, that doesn’t stop the hate crimes completely.”   
“It’s not fair,” he complained. 

“You can’t go,” Phil said sternly. “It’s for your own safety.”

“I can defend myself just fine!”

“You can’t go, Techno!”

Techno stood up, dropping his fork and stepping away from the dining table. Phil cringed at the sound of his chair skitting across the floor. Wilbur looked unsettled, curling into himself nervously, and Tommy looked scared. He hadn’t seen them react this way towards him since that day those few weeks ago, coming home drenched in blood with a manic look in his eyes. He scowled.

Phil’s eyes softened. “Look, I’m sorry for yelling I just--we could do homeschool--”

Techno didn’t stick around to hear the rest of Phil’s sentence.

  
He closed the door to his room, although not slamming it, and sat down on his floor as he usually did when he was having a moment. The hardwood floor was cool, causing him to shiver slightly. The temperature in the room was rather cold, as the fireplace wasn’t lit. Techno let out a breath and curled into himself, shivering.

Techno knew he was blowing things out of proportion, he knew he was being dramatic, but he couldn’t help but feel envious of Wilbur and Tommy. They were normal kids, normal humans. They were able to go places without the fear of simply being killed for his mob features.

He wanted to be normal like them. He wanted his head to be silent, to not thirst for blood and violence. He wanted to be a normal human like them; no floppy piglin ears on the side of his head or curly tufted tail. Nothing. 

_ Nothing. _

Techno brought his knees to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. He closed his eyes and sighed, listening to the voices try to give him support, finally being somewhat content with them.

After all, he had no one else to listen to right now. He was sure they were scared of him.

Once he had calmed down, Phil and him had a chat in his room, two brothers standing outside with their ears pressed to the door as Techno had the night before. They decided that homeschooling him would be the safest option. 

Techno apologised for acting out, and Phil assured him that it was fine and that everyone had their moments. 

Techno gave Phil a slight smile, running his hands through his hair as a stim. It was a comfortable silence, but Phil finally spoke up after a while.

“Would you like me to braid your hair?”

Techno blinked, then smiled and nodded. “Yeah, that would be nice. Thank you.”

Phil brushed through Techno’s hair and parted it into three sections, beginning to braid what he could since Techno’s hair wasn’t incredibly long. He hummed a familiar tune, one that Techno recognized as the Blood God’s song. He didn’t freak out this time, instead the song calmed him down. His tense shoulders relaxed and his eyes closed.

“There! Done.”

Techno glanced back at Phil and smiled. “Thank you.”

Phil nodded and patted Techno’s back. “You’re welcome.”

Techno got up from Phil’s bed and went towards the door, pushing it open to see Wilbur and Tommy there. He gave them a look and retreated back to his own room for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow my twt @socks_oda :]


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> homeschool and an invitation

Over the next few months, Techno had taken quite a liking to homeschooling. Phil had taken a week or so at the start to gather books from the library on how to homeschool Techno, trying to be discreet in it. Two of the kids he had taken in were going to physical school and the third one had to be at home. It would be quite obvious that he had taken in a hybrid if he had asked around for advice.

Phil had done his research and made little booklets to start off Techno with. He’d have to start with learning at a lower grade level than his own since this was his first time doing anything remotely close. Luckily for both of them, though, Techno was a very quick learner, picking up maths and grammar very quickly.

He’d sit in the living room, in front of the fireplace with the little booklet Phil had given him. Over time, Phil had made better booklets and got books from the library to make worksheets of and for Techno to study. He was getting better at making the booklets after practice and gradually gave Techno harder and harder problems. That was okay with him, though. He enjoyed the added challenge it gave him.

Techno would grab a blanket from the cupboard where there were many other quilted blankets, folded neatly and gathering dust from not being used, since there was no one else to use them until the three boys came along. He had a few blankets on his bed. The night got extremely cold very fast so he had the fireplace going (the added light from the fire eased his anxiety slightly, being able to see what was around him and making sure that no one was there) and curled up under the multiple blankets. Living in the Nether his whole life made him susceptible to the freezing cold.

Phil would go outside and check on the crops, prodding the soil with his fingertips and watering them with the steel watering can. Then, he’d go inside and cook lunch for the two of them and sit down with Techno, guiding him through his work while they slowly ate their lunch, be it soup or anything else they had that could quickly be made. The best food was saved for breakfast and dinner, when everyone was home.

Being with Phil constantly throughout the day was nice. Out of the three other people in the house, Techno definitely liked Phil the best. Perhaps it was because Phil had saved him that day from the skeleton’s arrow, or maybe it was Phil’s obvious favoritism towards him, but he enjoyed Phil’s company and Phil’s teaching. 

After Techno had finished his school work for the day and read a little bit of a book Phil had picked up from the library along with the books he got for Techno to study. It was a hard book to read and he had to go to Phil for help pronouncing words and knowing the meaning of different words, but he quite enjoyed it. 

He’d curl up by the fireplace again, this time with Phil close and try to read the story out loud to him. He stumbled over words often and said them oddly with his strange Piglin accent. It wasn’t as heavy from when he first started to speak English, but it was still there a bit.

Techno would rest his head against Phil’s shoulder and point to a big word, and Phil would read it out slowly and then normally, then have Techno repeat it and then continue on with the sentence. It was nice, it was comfy. Phil was nice, Phil was comfy.

After Techno would read, he would grab his boots and his sword and go out back, away from the crops and train with Phil. He had been steadily and quickly learning combat, working very well with a sword. He tried out different weapons at Phil’s suggestion, finding those ones less fun to work with since he wasn’t immediately good at using them. If he wasn’t good at them immediately, he would quickly lose motivation for it. Which was why he stuck to the sword most of the time.

He had insisted on using his golden sword instead of a wooden one that Phil had recommended--or even a stone one. He was far too attached to the sword that was likely to break soon from being used so often and gold not being the best material for weapons. Phil assumed that it was the piglin side of him being so obsessed with the thing. 

Techno would clean it every night so that it was nice and shiny again, only for it to be covered in dirt the next day once he was training.

He never told Phil, but he could still see the piglet’s blood oh so clearly sometimes. He didn’t know if he was just seeing things and going crazy from the constant chitter of the voices in his head or if it was actually there. 

A lot of things didn’t make sense. A lot of things made him question his own sanity.

He’d woken up one morning, struggling to get out of bed. He was tired, and he just couldn’t bring himself to get motivated no matter how hard he tried. Techno sat in bed for a good five minutes staring at the ceiling and listening to the voices shout at him to check on Phil and that he was hurt. To check on Tommy because he was hurt. To check on Wilbur because he was hurt.

He found himself not trusting the voices when they told him to do certain things, because they usually were tricking him. A little wisp would appear out of the corner of his eye and dart towards the door, so he had gotten up to check. Just in case, he had told himself. When he gently pushed open the door to Phil’s room, trying not to wake him up, Phil was sleeping peacefully, only shifting slightly to get more comfortable.

He had found a grey feather on the floor and frowned, picking it up and taking it back to his room, hiding it in his drawers. He didn’t know where it came from, but it felt important for some odd reason.

He had tried not to think about it, and went to bed.

Now, he was finally getting out of bed after Wilbur had knocked on his door and, with a drowsy and monotone voice (strange for Wilbur), “Breakfast is ready.”

His growling stomach reminded him of how hungry he was, so he persevered and got out of bed, stopping for a moment to lean against the wall and stare for another second longer as he saw spots in his vision and grew dizzy. He rubbed his eyes and then went towards the door, pushing it open and closing it behind him.

Tommy was sitting at the table, shoveling oatmeal into his mouth, yet somehow not making a mess everywhere. Phil watched and snickered.

Wilbur was nowhere to be seen. Techno frowned.  
  


Instead of worrying too much, he assumed that Wilbur was getting ready for school. Him and Tommy still had to walk there, accompanied by Phil, of course, since they didn’t have a horse yet. Phil told them that there were more important things they should spend their money on first, like food and clothes, before getting a horse. 

He sat down at the table and Phil set down a bowl of oatmeal, which he took and began eating gratefully, not saying anything. He was hungrier than he thought, and ate quickly.

He asked to be excused so he could get ready for the day, then went back to the hallway and glanced around, spotting Wilbur crouched down and looking at something. “What are you lookin’ at, Wil?”

Wilbur looked up. “It’s...it’s a feather?” He looked back down and picked it up to show Techno. It was a grey feather similar to the one Techno had found the night before, though this time it had a lighter, almost white color spot at the end of it.

Techno frowned. “That’s weird.”

“Yeah...yeah, it is.” Wilbur looked at the feather before standing up and walking towards his room. “I’ll see you after school, yeah?”

“Yeah..”

Techno looked up from where he was sitting at the fireplace, spotting Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy coming through the door. Phil had left a little while ago to pick up the boys from school and left Techno to read by himself. He didn’t mind, of course, he liked being alone. He was warm and cozy, a red blanket draped over his shoulders.

“Hallo,” he said and waved, then looked back down at his book. He didn’t pay much attention to Wilbur and Tommy bickering about whatever they disagreed on this time. They bickered quite often, but it was usually in good fun and not anything serious.

Tommy plopped down next to Techno and looked over his shoulder. “What are you reading?”

“I dunno, really. Just found it on the shelf.”

Tommy stuck his tongue out. “That’s boring. Reading is boring.”

“Sometimes.”

“Well, it's boring at school. They don’t give us any fun stories to read.”

Techno blinked. “That sucks,” he said dismissively.

“Can you read to me, Blade?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. Sure.”

Tommy grinned and snuggled up close to Techno and watched with wide eyes as Techno began to slowly read the book. He stumbled a lot over his words, but Tommy didn’t seem to mind, curled up and rocking a little bit in his spot.

After a long while of reading, Phil and Wilbur sat down near the fireplace as well. Phil had a plate in his hand and set it down next to Techno and Tommy. It was a plate of crackers and cheese, a snack they had pretty often since it was cheap at the market and tasted good.

Tommy leaned on Techno and nibbled on the crackers and cheese, getting crumbs on the blanket, which Techno shaked off with an eyeroll.  
  


Tommy then piped up. “Oh, yeah.” He looked at Phil. “Tubbo invited us to dinner. He said that Sparklez allowed him to now since I have a..a guardian,” he said, pausing for a moment to think of the word. “If that’s okay.”

Phil raised an eyebrow. “You should’ve told me this a while ago.”

“He only asked today! He walked down to the school with Niki and some guards because..y’know, safety and that sorta thing.” Tommy waved his hand. “But he gave me an envelope--oh! Lemme get it.” Tommy reached forward for his bag, which he hadn’t even put in his room before curling up with his brother. He rifled through his bag and pulled out a sealed envelope with the emblem of the Empire on the stamp, then handed it to Phil, who opened it carefully and read it over. “He told me to give that to you.”

Wilbur looked up from where he was casually strumming his guitar and tuning it, as well as writing down notes in his notebook. “Everyone was freaking out that the Prince and Princess were there--especially since they were speaking to a street rat.”

Tommy gasped in offense. “I’m not a street rat!”

“Not anymore.”

Tommy laughed, a loud, boisterous laugh. “You are mean.”

“No, not really. I’m just speaking the truth.”

“Eret himself invited us,” Phil interrupted, turning over the letter in his hands. He looked slightly uncomfortable, or maybe even nervous. 

“Can we go? Please? I want to see Tubbo again. He’s my best friend, you know.”

Phil opened his mouth, then closed it, looking at the other two boys for confirmation. “Well?”

“That’s fine. Sounds cool,” Wilbur said, shrugging. He grinned. “We’d be in a fucking palace...that’s so cool.”

“Language,” Phil chided, then looked at Techno.

“Uh.” Techno blinked, pausing to listen to the voices yell in what sounded like excitement at the offer. Besides, the other three seemed fine to go. It wouldn’t hurt, right? “Yeah, that’s fine.”

Phil nodded, letting out a breath. “Then it’s settled.” He looked over the letter. “We’ll go to the dinner. In a week’s time.”

Techno looked away, a feeling of nervousness in his stomach.

The palace was Phil’s old home. The palace was The Blood God’s old home-- _ his _ old home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow my twt @socks_oda
> 
> [amazing fanart by my friend uni!](https://twitter.com/uwu_unii/status/1346059162682236929?s=21)


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw- description of a panic attack

Phil insisted that all of them looked their best to go to the dinner that night, and he made sure that they looked their best to go to the dinner that night.

He stressed that it was important to look clean and tidy, and to have proper etiquette, especially with people as high of a status as the Royal Family. Over the week, Phil had taught them proper table etiquette and manners, chiding them whenever they’d mess up and keeping them at the table until they got it right.

It was mostly Tommy messing up; Wilbur and Techno got it down pretty quickly. Tommy would add something to the conversation at the wrong time or use the wrong fork for the wrong food.

One night, after they were cleaning up after dinner (each of them washing off their own dish and drying them, then putting them away in their respective places, a familiar routine they had fallen into ever since Tommy had come to the home), Wilbur asked, “How do you know all of this fancy stuff, Phil? Have you eaten with the Royal Family before?”

Phil had shaken his head and laughed. “No, no I haven’t. My mother taught me when I was small. I can’t remember exactly why, though. It’s been a long time.”

Techno knew that was a lie. Techno knew that Phil had been King once, and likely did the same dinner routine every knight when was King. Still, he stayed quiet. He desperately wanted to confront Phil about it, tell him that he knew, but he found himself too scared to. Would Phil be mad at him for telling him? Would he be mad for not telling him? Would he look down on Techno after realizing his dictator son had been reborn?

He didn’t particularly want to think about that.

The day of the dinner was pretty normal and lackluster for the first part of the day. The four of them woke up, ate breakfast, Phil took Tommy and Wilbur to school, Phil came back and homeschooled Techno, the two of them went out to check the crops and after they checked the crops, they spar until it was time to pick up Wilbur and Tommy. The same routine they had fallen into over the past few months and a routine Techno didn’t want to change. He liked the routine.

When everyone was home, Phil told them to go get ready, meaning to change into the nicest clothes they had and to make themselves look presentable and clean.

Techno sat in his room, tugging his hairbrush through his knotted hair and whining in pain as it kept getting stuck. Of course, he was the type of person to not ask for help, so he continued to tug until his hair felt smooth and he could run his fingers through it without it getting caught on any stray knots.

He looked at himself in the mirror and scowled at his very noticeable eye bags He had been somewhat fearful passing by mirrors-- swearing that out of the corner of his eye, he’d see the familiar scarred face of the Blood God. Looking at himself now, he could see the similarities in their appearances. Of course, Techno was only a kid and thus had softer features, although he looked a bit older than he actually was.

He huffed out a sigh and stood up, setting the hairbrush down and going towards the folded haori on his bed. It was sort of a family custom now-- all of them wore haoris that Phil had gotten specifically tailored for them and embroidered little symbols on the sleeves and area where the breast pocket would be if it were a shirt. Wilbur’s had a little music note, Tommy’s a music disc, Phil’s a feather, and Techno’s a crown.

He wondered if Phil knew.

Techno put on the haori and smoothed it out, then leaned down to put on his boots. He stood straight up when there was a knock on his door and Phil’s voice saying, “It’s time to go, mate.”

He looked at his sword leaning against his bed, pondering taking it with him, then decided against it, grabbing his travelling cloak and opening his door, walking out into the living room where Wilbur was waiting by the front door, looking excited. He walked over and stood next to Wilbur, tilting his head. “Are you excited?” he asked, as if it weren’t obvious.

Wilbur nodded, rocking on the balls of his feet. “Mhm. I’ve never really been near people of such high status--you know, besides the festival and Tubbo coming to school to give Tommy and I the invitation. It’s kind of scary, too. You know, I was just a kid on the streets and now--because of my street rat little brother that is friends with the prince, the fucking prince!-- I am going to be having dinner with the Royal Family?!” Wilbur shook his head. “It’s all so weird.”

Techno hummed. “Yeah….”

“Are you excited?” Wilbur asked, playing with the sleeves on his own haori, which was a little big on him so the sleeves came close to his fingertips. The embroidered musical notes were easy to spot, and a nice yet simple design.

“Nervous,” Techno admitted, though didn’t elaborate on it anymore. He figured he should probably tell Wilbur everything--he could trust Wilbur.

“Yeah. I understand.” Wilbur now had an unreadable expression, looking at Techno’s pointy ears, then turning away. “Let's just hope we make a good impression on them. I think I’d accidentally embarrass myself in front of them.”

“You’re only scared of them because of the power they have over you,” Techno responded, surprised at how smart he sounded. At least, it felt like he sounded very smart.

Wilbur hummed. “You have a point. Monarchy is lame, anyway. I think democracy is the way to go.”

“I have no idea what that means.”

Wilbur waved his hand. “You’ll learn when you’re older.”

Techno scowled and rolled his eyes, earning a laugh from Wilbur.

A few moments later, Phil and Tommy walked out of Tommy’s room, Tommy smiling brightly and talking loudly with Phil about how excited he was to see Tubbo again and ‘how cool the palace was’.

Phil laughed and chatted with him, though there was an air of nervousness around him he wasn’t sure if anyone else noticed. Tommy didn’t, obviously, he was too caught up in his excitement. Wilbur was still silent.

Phil adjusted his haori and nodded to his boys. “I think it’s about time we go. Are you three ready?” He waited and watched the three of them nod, then went towards the door of the cottage and opened it. “Right. Let’s go.”

The walk into the village was relatively quiet, the four of them mostly just taking in the scenery of the forest in the spring. It was pretty all year round, but especially beautiful in the spring and winter. Although they had been down the path so many times before, it was still nice to watch the branches and leaves sway in the breeze and hear the crunch of leaves beneath their feet, and the plethora of flora.

Once they got closer to the village, Techno pulled on his cloak and pulled the hood over his head, obscuring his most prominent Piglin features. His tusks have been growing in, albeit slowly, so they weren’t very noticeable unless you looked at his mouth when it was opening. His growing tusks had given him a bit of an underbite, however.

They walked along the stone path in the village until they reached a designated spot where there stood a carriage pulled along by well groomed horses that watched them with their beady eyes. Outside the carriage stood King regent Sparklez, looking as regal and stoic as ever, a pair of dark glasses with red accents obscuring his real eyes. He looked over and gestured with his hand to get inside the carriage once the four were near.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a while, even Sparklez seemed to be somewhat on edge, though he did well at hiding any stronger emotions. He looked over to Phil. “Philza, it’s quite nice to finally speak to you in person,” he commented.

Phil smiled, though it was not a genuine smile. “Of course, sir.”

Techno could tell that Tommy desperately wanted to speak up, wanted to ask questions, but the boy stayed quiet and looked between the two with wide blue eyes.

The carriage fell into another uncomfortable silence, and it stayed that way this time until they were at the palace, in which the coachmen helped the five of them out, bowed, then drove the carriage off, leaving Sparklez to lead them up the stairs and into the palace. He dipped his head in acknowledgement at the guards as they passed, and waited as more guards pushed open the palace doors.

Needless to say, it was breathtaking.

Tall white pillars with engraved textures and vaguely familiar symbols, stretching all the way up to the ceiling, which seemed like it was in the sky. A bright chandelier with too many candles to count lighting up the room, along with torches along the wall for extra lighting. Marble floors that simply felt wrong to stand in, being from a lower status.

Looking forward, there were four thrones, though no one sat in them currently. Decorated with soft looking cushions and waxed metals.

The whole scene was familiar, all too familiar.

Techno felt like he was going to be sick.

Although the lights were bright and the thrones in front of him were not made of skulls, and no pink-haired man was in sight, he knew this was the same setting of his dream (nightmare?). Glancing towards Phil, there was an expression of discomfort and anxiety.

Techno wanted to go back home (though, this was his rightful home, wasn’t it? He should be sitting on that throne.), sit in front of the fireplace and read. Everything, all at once, seemed to be too bright and too loud. The whispers in his head that he was able to drown out were screaming, screaming so loud. 

A small boy, the Prince they had met at the festival, Tubbo, ran out from one of the corridors and towards Tommy, grinning in delight, “Tommy! Tommy, you’re here!” and practically tackled Tommy in a tight hug.

The contrast between their outfits was almost laughable. Tubbo’s nicely fitted button up with cravat, made of silky expensive fabrics and his glinting crown with an emerald embedded in the front of it, compared to Tommy’s too big haori and falling apart shoes.

Tommy hugged his friend back and laughed. They stayed like that for a moment before Tubbo grabbed Tommy’s hand. “Oh man, Eret and Niki are so excited to finally have guests. They should be coming out anytime now, since they wanted to make sure all the preparations for dinner were set.”

Sparklez nodded. “Yes, it will only be a moment.”

And so, they waited for a few minutes. Tubbo and Tommy chatted with each other happily, completely oblivious to the tense air surrounding the other three. Even Wilbur seemed to be somewhat on edge, stepping away from Sparklez and taking Techno’s hand in his own. Feeling Wilbur’s cold hand was somewhat comforting, as if it kept him grounded.

Sparklez and Phil didn’t speak to each other, instead Sparklez watched Phil with a slight suspicion as Phil stared at the thrones up ahead, clenching and unclenching his fist at his side. Whatever attempts he was trying to make to seem calm and collective were failing miserably so, as his anxiety was obvious.

A few minutes later, Prince Eret and Princess Niki walked out of a different corridor than Tubbo had come from and came over to the group. They wore outfits similar to Tubbo’s, though Niki wore a long, flowy dress and Eret had the same cloak he wore at the festival draped over his shoulders. The cloak looked the exact same as the one the Blood God had worn. Additionally, they wore crowns similar to Tubbo’s, though Eret’s was the same one the Blood God had worn.

Techno squeezed Wilbur’s hand and looked down. The voices were so loud, so overwhelming, though he couldn’t decipher what they were saying. Too many different words jumbling together all at once.

Phil bowed once they had come closer, so Wilbur and Techno followed in suit. Tommy didn’t, since he was too preoccupied in talking to Tubbo, but when Tubbo pointed them out, he waved and grinned. “Hi Niki! Hi Eret!”

Niki smiled. “Hello, Tommy. It’s been a little while.” She came over and ruffled Tommy’s hair in a friendly way. She then looked towards Techno, Wilbur, and Phil and bowed. “We haven’t met yet. I’m Niki. It’s nice to meet you.”

The three of them bowed back to her, and Eret came over, holding out his hand to shake. He paused when he got to Techno, tilting his head and smiling, shaking Techno’s hand with a firm grip. “I’m Eret, it’s nice to meet you, Techno. Tubbo has told me about you.” He turned away, glancing at Tommy and then looking back towards Techno. “You can take off your cloak, by the way. All hybrids are welcome here.”

Techno suddenly felt all too self-conscious, eight pairs of eyes on him as he reached up and took his hood off, ears flicking.

Eret dipped his head, then gestured to one of the corridors. “Let’s have dinner then, shall we?”

The voices were somewhat understandable now, many making vicious threats towards Eret and screaming to not trust him. Techno did his best to ignore them and walked with the rest of the group down the short corridor into a large dining room with equally bright lights. Techno squinted somewhat, the lights far, far too bright for him.

All of the smells and lights and sounds were too overwhelming. All he wanted to do was go back to the cottage and lie down, maybe take a nap or read. Be anywhere but here. 

His hand itched for a sword that wasn’t there.

They all sat down at the table, Techno staying close to Phil and Wilbur. The pit of anxiety and his pounding head made him feel sick.

The food set down in front of him looked amazing (of course it was, these chefs were working for the Royal Family of all people) but the sheer amount of overstimulation and anxiety made him lose his appetite almost immediately. He held the fork in his shaking hand and stared down at the plate of food.

He thinks the people around him--at the table, are chatting away while they ate, but he can’t tell from the screaming in his head. Screaming to get out of there, to hurt someone, to curl up and close his eyes. 

He took a shaky bite of his food, hardly registering the taste and fighting the urge to spit it out. The texture was all weird and unpleasant, not like the food he ate at Phil’s cottage. He begrudgingly swallowed it before setting his fork down and turning to Phil. He couldn’t care how rude it seemed to want to leave in the middle of dinner--he just knew he needed to leave immediately.

“I’ll be right back,” he said slowly. Phil frowned at him and nodded.

“Don’t go far, mate.”

Techno nodded and hastily stood up, cringing at the sound of his chair against the floor, bowing and mumbling a half-assed apology before quickly walking out of the dining room and abc into the throne room. He frowned and turned down a different corridor, one that was less lit up and more dim. The lack of lighting and smells was definitely a much better improvement than moments before, and he sighed.

Still, it wasn’t enough. The voices were still screaming, now the words all jumbled together and making him unable to understand and focus on a single sentence, much less allow him to think a single clear, coherent thought.

There seemed to be only one goal: get to a safe place.

He walked (more of a jog, almost) down the dim corridor, staring down at the textured carpet beneath him and breathing in labored breaths. There were symbols on the carpet, but he couldn’t care to know what they meant. Still, it was a bit pretty.

He stopped when he could somewhat see the end of the hallway in his peripheral vision and look up, only to be greeted with a mirror, the same mirror in his dream, and the reflection of the man with pink hair and scars and deeply unsettling red eyes. Lips drawn up in a smile.

This wasn’t him. Was it?

This was the Blood God, not Technoblade. But he had made it clear that they were the same person? They were different entities in his dreams?

But those were his dreams, things may work differently there?

  
“I’m home,” the man in the mirror said in a low voice, his hand reached out.

Technoblade shrieked and stumbled backwards, tripping over his own feet and falling onto the carpeted floor. “No, no, no, get out of my head.”

The voices shrieked in unison with him, urging him on.

“I’m finally home again. It’s been a long while.”

“Get out of my head!”

“My crown, my rightful crown.”

“Get out! Shut up, shut up shut--” he gasped for breath and stood up, his legs hardly supporting himself. He needed to leave. He needed to get out of this place--

Red eyes stared back at him in the mirror.

Techno held his head, gripping his hair tightly and stepping backwards, stumbling into a person this time. He shrieked again, flinching away and bringing his arms up in a defensive position, his entire body trembling and his breaths loud and labored.

“It’s me, Wilbur,” the voice said and a hand reached out.

Techno wanted to not trust him, to run, to flee, but he found himself lowering his arms and meeting face to face with the older boy. A rush of relief came over him and he practically flung himself into Wilbur’s arms, finally letting tears roll down his cheeks and gasping for breaths.

Wilbur held onto him gently, moving so they were sitting on the floor, and ran his fingers through Techno’s hair.

“I--” Techno gasped for breath, his voice shrill and high pitched. “I want to go home. I want to go back to Phil’s cottage. I want to go home, Wil.”

Wilbur pulled him closer. “We’re gonna go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow my twt [@socks_oda](https://twitter.com/socks_oda?lang=en)


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> feathers...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw- description of a panic attack

When he opened his eyes, he was back in the palace. Though, this palace was the dark one. The one in the Nether.

He felt a pit of dread in his stomach and a spike on anxiety. It was very dim, so he had to squint to try and see what was around him, but he was able to make it out. A chandelier hung up above, giving off light of blue fire, as well as torches mounted upon the walls. The same runes carved into the pillars.

Up ahead, there was the throne of skulls, and The Blood God sitting elegantly on it, holding a glass with a red, almost black substance in it. He gestured with his other hand for Techno to come over, a neutral, leaning towards upset, expression on his face, the sheer amount of scars defining his features.

Techno, too scared (although he tried not to show it) to defy him, slowly walked up to the skull throne. He frowned at the sound of distant screaming, but it wasn’t in his head this time. It was a surrounding sound, coming from all directions it seemed. Screaming, screaming out ‘ _skulls for the skull throne_ ’.

The Blood God stared at him, deep red irises watching him knowingly and judgingly. He moved his hand and snapped his fingers, causing Techno to flinch at the sudden movement and frown when he heard the clattering of bones.

Out from one of the dark corridors stumbled a skeleton, though it had dark bones rather than the off-white bones of skeletons from the overworld or from the soul sand valleys. He had heard about this type of skeleton before, from the Piglin village and the Nether Fortress he was abandoned at by his birth parents. 

Wither skeletons had almost killed him before.  _ Skeletons _ had almost killed him before. But now, seeing one stumble over itself and come to the Blood God’s side, holding a tray in it’s skinny fingers, he couldn’t help the tiny smirk that made its way onto his face. The Blood God set his glass on the tray and grabbed the wither skeleton’s hand and squeezed. He squeezed until he hummed in satisfaction and let go, only particles of dust falling to the shiny floor.

The skeleton quickly hurried off after that.

The Blood God looked down at his own hand, which had a black substance on it, eating away at his palm. He hummed again and ignored it, looking over to Techno. They stared at each other for a second before beginning to walk away, his heels clicking against the marble floor. Techno simply followed after him, glancing back at the dark corridors and biting the inside of his cheek, a nervous habit he had yet to break. Though, this time, it seemed as though the Blood God wasn’t leading him down the hallway with the mirror.

“Wither skeletons are horrible servants,” the Blood God commented, shaking his hand and looking at his palm, where the withering effect had just kept getting worse, almost his entire hand was black now, and the bones were beginning to show. “You’re scared of them, I can tell.”

Techno looked down at the ground, noticing that he wore a pair of boots similar to the Blood God. The heel of it was a lot smaller, of course, but it still made him a little bit taller than what he was before. “I almost got killed by one when I was a baby. I still have a scar on my stomach.”

The Blood God just laughed and continued to walk until he pushed open two glass doors, his long claw-like nail scraping against the glass. He stepped onto a balcony, though stayed nearest to the doorway since the nether bricks that formed a fence had been broken, leaving a perfect opportunity to fall off into the lava below.

When Techno looked up, the Blood God had that dissatisfied expression, somewhat angry. Techno shrunk back and looked away, fidgeting with his hands nervously. Simply being in his presence made him nervous, but the negative expression only worsened his anxiety.

“I want you to take the crown back.”

Techno frowned. “What?”

“Take my crown back--take _your_ crown back. They’re not the rightful leaders of the Empire. They don’t even have any Royal blood, none. Their ancestors--their ancestors were just some low ranking nobles.” The Blood God scowled and flexed his hand, which looked almost completely skeletal. He looked down at the lava below, a glint in his eyes. The lava simply popped and bubbled, sloshing about as someone-- _ something _ moved around beneath the depths.

“I don’t know how I would do that,” Techno drew out slowly, though he knew exactly, and the pit in his stomach grew deeper once the Blood God spoke again.

“Kill them.”

Techno laughed nervously and stepped away, glancing between the lava lake and the tall man in front of him. He needed to leave, get to somewhere safe, get out of his own head. His hands were shaking, now. “I’m not..”

“You’re going to kill them,” the Blood God responded and looked down at the boy in front of him, red eyes boring into him. “And return home.”

‘No, I don’t think..” Techno gulped and stepped away, only for the Blood God to grab his wrist and pull him back with his skeletal hand. The withering effect had spread to his forearm now, eating away slowly, carefully, almost. “I don’t want to do that. They’re all nice to me. I don’t see why I should have to do this. Um, I’ve never been royalty. Well, I guess I have--we have, but I’m not looking towards that. I’m not just going to kill innocent people. They’re changing things, for the better--”

“They’re tyrants. You don’t understand, you have to,” the Blood God hissed, pulling Techno closer. The voices screamed conflicting responses, saying to kill the Royal Family, saying to leave them be, saying to _trust_ the Blood God, saying to flee.

Techno scowled and tried pulling his arm away, feeling a sudden surge of confidence. “I’m not going to. I’m not just going to repeat history just because you tell me to. I am my own person, you’re j-just--”

The Blood God stared down at him with an unreadable expression, then grinned with all his sharp teeth. Techno felt the confidence drain out of him almost immediately. 

The Blood God dragged him towards the broken edge of the balcony, and Techno struggled to fight back gasping and whimpering in fear (although he hated how weak it made him seem). “Fine. If you won’t do it, I’ll do it myself,” he whispered into Techno’s ear, then he felt a sudden force on his back and he was pushed off of the balcony, into the lava lake below.

Techno stared up as he fell, keeping eye contact with the Blood God until he felt the white-hot lava on his skin and a skeletal hand grab him and drag him deeper and deeper into the lake.

“Technoblade! It’s time for breakfast!”

Techno shot out of bed and gasped for air, groping around for his blankets, his sword-- anything nearby to feel something. He gripped his sheets and let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes and breathing in and out, though it didn’t help him at all. He was still shaking, his hands feeling weak as his grip loosened on the sheets. There were wails and shouts in his head, making his head pound.

“Technoblade, breakfast is--oh..”

Techno glanced up to see Tommy in his doorway, frowning and holding an object in his hand: a grey feather, one similar to what both him and Wilbur had picked up. The feather Techno had found was still hidden deep in his drawers.

Tommy quickly came over and sat down on the bed next to Technoblade and frowned. “Are you okay?”

Techno, finding himself unable to respond (trying to only resulted in a pitiful grunt), shook his head no and gathered more of his sheets in his hands, gripping tightly again and struggling for air.

“Hey, hey um…” Tommy thought for a moment, unsure how to calm his panicking brother. He then looked down at the feather in his hand, and it was as if a light bulb went off in his head. “Here, this is something Niki taught me. Um, focus on this feather. The one in my hands.” He moved so he was in front of Techno holding his hands out and showing him the grey feather. “You see it?”

Techno nodded, still gasping for air and shaking in fear, big tears falling from his eyes.

“Okay, um, what did she say what did she say..” Tommy bit his lip, becoming anxious that Techno could hardly breathe and the fact that he was so emotional right now--it was unlike him. Or, unlike the Techno that he allowed Tommy to see. “Okay. Close your eyes and imagine the feather. The one in my hands, or just a random one--I don’t know, ack. This feather, this feather,” he said, saving Techno from having to make the decision himself.

Techno closed his eyes, the image of the grey feather with the white spot still fresh in his head.

“Niki says that your breathing controls the feather, so you gotta keep it steady by breathing in and out slowly,” Tommy said, then demonstrated by breathing in and out, deeply and slowly.

Techno nodded again and tried to steady his breathing to match the image in his head, following along Tommy’s lead. 

The feather slowly rose up and down, up and down, following along with his breathing. As his breathing steadied, so did the pattern of the feather rising and falling. Falling smoothly and slowly, rising smoothly and slowly.

Since he was so focused on the feather, the voices seemed to be much more quieter, or perhaps it was because of his intense focus on the thing.

After a few minutes, his breathing was back to normal and he wasn’t crying anymore, feeling mostly calm but still weak and tired.

Techno opened his eyes to find Tommy’s wide blue ones staring right back at him and he couldn’t help but laugh just the tiniest bit. Tommy smiled at that, setting the feather down and patting Techno’s head.

“Thank you,” he said in a quiet voice, looking away in embarrassment. Tommy had seen him have a whole meltdown. But...Tommy stayed with him the whole time, helped him through it. He cared. “You’re very smart and mature for a six year old.”

Tommy scrunched his face. “Because I am a big man,” he stated proudly then smiled again, affectionate. “Niki taught me that because I have those bad moments too. When…” He thought for a moment, trying to think of the best way to explain it. “When it feels like the whole world is crashing down on you,” he settled on. “Or...like your dying.”

_ Yeah. _

Techno just nodded and wiped his face.

They sat there for a few minutes before Tommy stood up, grabbing the feather and moving towards the doorway. “Phil said to come get some breakfast if you’re hungry, then we’re going to go to the village.”

Techno moved to stand up, balancing himself by leaning on the wall. His legs were still shaking a little bit. “Why?”

“He said we’re going to get clothes tailored for all of us. Well, Me, you, and Wilbur. Since we don’t have many other clothes and we’re staying with him for a while.”

Techno nodded. “Okay.” He then watched Tommy leave his room and sighed, holding his face in his hands. How long would it be until Phil sent him back to the Nether? Sent Wlbur and Tommy back into the kingdom territory or the neighboring country where Wilbur had come from?

He didn’t want to think about that.

The door to the tailor shop opened, and in ran Dream, wearing his signature smiley-mask that still unnerved Techno. He held a paper in his hand, a flyer of some sorts, and ran up to the tailor, Lizzie, if Techno recalled correctly.

“Miss. Lizzie! Look at this!” He showed her the flyer and she smiled, nodding, then going back to taking Wilbur’s measurements. Wilbur stood there with his arms out, looking uncomfortable and bored.

Dream then spotted Techno and Techno could practically see his smile. He sat down next to Techno, who was previously teasing Tommy about something unimportant to pass time while Phil spoke to the tailor. 

Dream took off his mask and looked at Techno, grinning with his gapped smile. “Do you like fighting? Stuff like that?”

“Um, yeah. I’m learning how to fight with a sword.”

Dream’s smile only grew wider. “Ooh, perfect! Look at this!” He showed Techno the flyer, and Techno skimmed over it. It was a flyer advertising a fighting tournament that was going to happen regularly nearer to the capital, which was a bit ways away from the village. It wasn’t too far, though. A fighting tournament happening every two weeks and the winner would get a prize of cash money.

Techno already loved the idea.

“That’s really cool,” he said, tilting his head.

“What’s really cool?” Tommy asked, peeking over Techno’s shoulder, only for him to push his face back and snicker.

“Nothing you need to know about. You’re too young.”

Tommy pouted, but sat back down in his seat and continued to fidget with his shirt out of boredom.

“That’s really cool,” Techno repeated, looking at Dream, who nodded in agreement.

“Mhm. I really want to join it, once I get stronger, of course. But I don't know if you have to be a certain age to join or note. I mean, probably, because if you’re too young that’s probably against the law anyway.”

_I don’t believe in laws_ , Techno wanted to say, but kept his mouth shut and nodded.

“Would you wanna join me in it? We could train together, if you want!”

Techno smiled. “Yes. I’d like to train with you.”

Dream clapped his hands together. “Perfect! That’s so great. I’ll talk to Lizzie about it later.” He grinned.

Techno nodded and looked down, playing with his sleeves. He had to admit, Dream was a great friend and very kind to him.

Techno ran through the forest, holding onto the hood of his cloak to keep it up and his labored breaths seeming much louder than they were in the mostly silent forest. There were mobs out, so he had brought his sword just in case.

There were a few faint groans in the distance of zombies, but no monsters came to challenge him, so he trekked onwards until he saw a lit up area-- the village. 

He slowed down and caught his breath, but still walked quickly along the streets, looking down at the flyer in his hand. The same one that Dream had shown him earlier that day about the tournament. In smaller lettering there was an address of the place in the capital and the time when you could sign up, which was until midnight. It was around eleven thirty now, so he had to hurry if he wanted to make it there on time.

A few people walking in the middle of the night glanced at him suspiciously or with worry, but didn’t seem to care too much about him.

Techno stood still and caught his breath for a few moments before he was off sprinting again, making sure not to trip on any stones on the pathway or even his own feet. The lanterns lighting up the village made it easier to read the flyer, and, of course, prevented the monsters from coming near and terrorizing the villagers.

He had thought about the tournament all day, figuring that, if he was allowed (by the tournament organizers, Phil didn’t need to know about this), he’d join. It seemed to be a good idea to him, as well as the voices in his head, which were the main reason he wanted to do this anyway. If he were to go on his way and hurt more people due to the voices telling him to, he figured that the best way to settle that bloodthirst was to go up against people who were fighting as well.

It made sense in his head. Hopefully it would stop (or at least, hinder) the bloodthirst.

He stopped when he had made it into the Capitol, looking around and scanning until he saw a large colosseum-like building and walked over to it, where a line of people stood outside. Most of them looked to be in their late teens or early adulthood, making Techno feel very out of place there.

He waited and waited, rocking back and forth on his feet nervously and piping up once it was his turn in line. He stepped up to the person, one who wore chainmail armor and a veil on their face to obscure their identity.

“Name?” they asked.

Techno panicked for a moment, not wanting to give out his real name. “Blade,” he said simply, short and not too forgettable.

“Age?”

“Thirteen,” Techno lied, and it was obvious so. The person in the chainmail armor seemed to stifle a laugh, and Techno could feel his ears turn red from embarrassment.

“You have to be fifteen to join, kid. Go on home.”

Techno frowned, then nodded and turned away, quickly walking and once he was far enough away, breaking into a sprint so he could be home without Phil noticing he ever left.

Fifteen? He’d have to wait five more years until then, since he was going to turn ten this year.

Techno scowled at his stupidity. Of course they wouldn’t let a  _ child _ into a fighting tournament.

He shook his head and hurried home, brainstorming other ideas on how to get in or how to satisfy the voices’ thirst for blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow my [twitter](https://twitter.com/socks_oda?lang=en)  
> thank you for all the kudos and comments :]


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> growing up

Over the summer, Wilbur finished his first song. The past few weeks, he had been holed up in his room and the faint sounds of a guitar could be heard when you passed by while walking through the hallway. Although faint, it was beautiful, and Wilbur had a talent for music that the rest of his family could see, and hear, very clearly.    
  


Needless to say, when Wilbur came out for dinner with a happy grin on his face and announcing that he had finished his first song, everyone was excited. 

Wilbur was especially happy that people had even wanted to hear his music at all. It was exciting to be able to share his passion with people who cared deeply about him and his interests and making sure that he was happy and loved. 

Wilbur announced that he was going to do a bit more of fine tuning to make sure it was just right, then he would play it for them in the next coming days.

When he finished dinner, he nodded towards his friends--his family (which he loved dearly and with all of his heart), then set off towards his room again.

Techno smiled softly, watching him go. Wilbur had shared his creative process with Techno, ranting on and on about how he poured his heart into this and was so excited to be able to share it. He would not let Techno hear even a snippet of it, though. 

Techno stood up from his chair at the table and went to clean off his plate, pouring water over it and scrubbing it clean, then drying it off with a hand towel so that it gleamed with the light of the sunset, since he had learned that the sun stayed out much longer than it did in the other months, allowing him to stay outside tending to the growing fields or perhaps train more with his sword. He had been improving fast with his sword, even being able to beat Phil in their training sessions. That was something he took pride in; being able to beat a well-trained survivalist.

He set the plate down to dry with the other dishes and then walked into the living room to grab his book, which had been abandoned when he was called for dinner by Phil. Tommy had helped him cook tonight, as the three of them had been taking turns to help Phill make supper and to generally learn how to cook. Tommy always despised cooking, but dinner still turned out pretty decent whenever he helped.

Could be worse, Techno thinks when he eats, it’s actually not too bad.

Techno grabbed his book, taking a moment to dog ear the page he had been on, then closed it and walked into the hallway. He paused as he passed Wilbur’s room, pressing his ear up against his door and listening. 

Wilbur was singing quietly, pausing to grumble something that Techno couldn’t make out and shuffling as he moved. The shuffling stopped and now he could hear the strumming of Wilbur’s guitar again and Wilbur singing.

It sounded almost melancholic….sad… 

Techno listened for a while longer, as if Wilbur’s singing was a siren’s song, pulling him in and wanting to hear more. His voice was smooth and somewhat higher pitched, dragging out the notes of his song and reciting the words without any hesitations. 

Techno pushed himself away from Wilbur’s door and went to his own room, a smile on his face and excited to hear the rest of the song.

He was proud of his big brother.

Tommy practically dragged him out of bed the next morning, an excited grin on his face, holding Techno’s arm with a grip too strong for a six year-old. Techno was sure that it would bruise. Perhaps that was an exaggeration. 

Techno rubbed his eyes and stumbled along with Tommy, yawning loudly and earning a giggle from the young boy. Tommy let go once they made it into the kitchen, where Phil and Wilbur were sitting eating pancakes for breakfast.

The two sat down and ate their own fillings of breakfast, then cleaned off their dishes as they usually did with any other meal. After breakfast was finished, the four of them went into the living room and Wilbur grabbed his guitar off of the couch and smiled.

“I’m ready,” he said after a moment, fingers fiddling almost anxiously with the strings on his guitar. There were woods etched into the body of the guitar, a quote from a book he had read a long time ago and couldn’t remember what the meaning behind it was. It was made out of a rich, dark wood, almost reddish in color. Although it was dingy and on the verge of falling apart, he still loved it dearly and refused to get a new one when Phil had offered.

His family sat down on the floor of the living room, Techno and Tommy curled up next to each other by the fireplace, and Phil sitting nearby them, across from where Wilbur was sitting, finetuning his guitar one more time before he let out a breath. His hands held onto the guitar and he cleared his throat, coughing a little.

They waited patiently for him, trying not to make the air in the room more awkward than it already was. Wilbur fumbled to get his grip right one more time and then nodded. “Alright.”

He then began to strum his guitar, playing out several different chords that seemed to be pretty difficult and intricate to the rest of the boys, who had not learned how to play a guitar. Even though Wilbur had shown Techno some chords before, and how to play them, Techno did not understand how he did it and simply watched in awe. Now, watching Wilbur strum the first chords of his song, he was still in awe.

Wilbur began to sing, his voice soft and higher pitched, though his voice was smooth and controlled, not raspy and only occasionally having voice cracks, which was unavoidable. The words rolled off his tongue with ease, after many, many weeks of practice just to make this his first song his best work and as he continued to write more and more songs (which he planned on doing, of course), making those even better than his first. The words hung in the air, their meanings jumbled and up to interpretation to anyone that listened. The song was melancholic, drifting through the air. 

_ Wilbur! Music! Wilbur support! _

People say that songs can influence your emotions greatly.

Philza was proud of his son.

For Tommy’s ninth birthday, they went out into the forest.

Tommy ran around, giggling and laughing, Phil and Wilbur having to grab him and pull him away from touching any strange plants such as poison ivy or eating a random mushroom off the ground, being scolded to not eat anything he saw because he could end up getting himself poisoned. It was quite funny to watch, Techno thought with amusement, watching Phil grab Tommy by the back of his shirt from running after a bunny.

“Leave it be, Tommy,” Phil said, barely containing his own laughter, his lips quirked up in a smile. 

Tommy giggled and struggled against Phil’s grip on his shirt, hands reaching out and groping the air. “Lemme go! I’m gonna hunt just like you, Phil.”

“No, you’re not.” Phil laughed. “You are a child.”

Tommy looked at Phil with an offended expression, pouting his lip. “What the hell.”

The older three all looked at each other, Wilbur stifling a laugh and looking away. Techno stared at Phil, trying to fight back a smile but the corners of his mouth quirked up awkwardly around his tusks, which had grown in steadily throughout the few years he had been there.

Phil looked back at Tommy, raising an eyebrow in questioning, still holding onto Tommy’s shirt. “Where did you learn that word?”

Tommy glanced around and towards Wilbur, who shook his head quickly and mouthed something that Techno couldn’t decipher from where he was standing. Tommy then looked back at Phil with a smug expression, and said, loudly and clearly, “Wilbur.”

Techno couldn’t contain his laughter now, watching Wilbur splutter out a defense while Phil looked at him disappointedly. He doubled over and covered his mouth, giggling.

“Don’t say that,” Phil chided. “And Wilbur, don’t teach him bad words.”

“It’s my birthday I get to say whatever I want,” Tommy said with a cheeky grin and Phil sighed, using his free hand to rub his temple.

“Okay. Okay fine, only today.”

Tommy smiled, a smug and proud one, ignoring the betrayed look that Wilbur shot him. “What did you want to show me, anyway, Techno?”

Techno shrugged and walked forward, his hand on a long branch he held loosely, as if using it like a walking stick although he didn’t need it. “Somethin’ Phil showed Wil and I when we first got here,” he said, pushing through vines and foliage that hung low on the tree branches, into the familiar clearing with the statue. Though, this time it was different. Techno didn’t often visit, since he had a sneaking and obvious suspicion that the statue itself was of Phil. His dreams with the Blood God (which had still continued throughout the years, although they were less in quantity by a large amount. Instead of the dreams, he would usually just hear those formless whispers in his head, egging him on about certain things, usually not relevant to his current conversation and just overwhelming.) had confirmed that the statue was of Phil; that Phil was the Angel of Death. Techno had tried to not think about it too much, focusing on trying to live his own life without the influence of the Blood God or acknowledging his immortal father.

The clearing was covered in dark grey feathers, like the ones they had found around the house. Some had light grey, almost white looking, spots near the end. Many were simply snapped in half. 

Techno frowned at the sight, as did Wilbur and Phil. Phil looked somewhat uncomfortable to be here now. 

Techno assumed that Phil had a vague knowledge of his relationship with the Blood God (an odd thing to think about, since they were the same person? According to the Blood God, that is. It was still too confusing for Techno to try and wrap his head around.), but, like him, didn’t speak up about it. Techno assumed that Phil wanted to leave that behind in the past, for history to not repeat itself.

And it didn’t just yet.

Tommy looked around the clearing with curiosity and then up at the statue in the middle of the clearing, of Phil back when he was “younger”, with much longer hair that was in a low ponytail, as well as wearing his signature haori and shihakusho, as well as a hakama for his pants. The statue held a sword and his wings were spread out elegantly. “This is so cool….why are there so many feathers?”

Techno stepped into the clearing, trying to sweep away some of them with his shoe and moving towards the statue. There hadn’t been many offerings in the past few months, since that was the last time Techno had visited, it looked like. Old plates of food growing mold and spoiling, as well as the ashes scattered around with all of the feathers. “No clue….they weren’t here the last time I was here.”

Wilbur hummed, a thoughtful look on his face. “Maybe we should choose a different place to eat lunch. Don’t want to eat with all of these feathers lying around.”

Tommy frowned, then nodded reluctantly. “Yeah, sure. I want to know more about this, though. That guy,” he pointed to the statue, “looks kinda like Phil.”

Techno narrowed his eyes and glanced at their father, who had been silent. “I’m sure that Phil would be happy to tell you.”

Phil made eye contact with Techno, forcing a smile upon his face. “Of course.”

“Technoblade! I challenge you to a duel!” 

The fourteen year old boy looked up from where he was sharpening his sword, an iron one with diamonds embedded into the sharpest part of the blade, since Phil did not yet trust him with a fully diamond sword. “Heh?”

Dream stood above him holding his own sword, another iron one with a smiley-face engraved into the hilt of it. He did not have his signature smiley-face mask on, since he was just visiting the family for the day to hang out with them. More so to hang out with Techno, since Tommy and Wilbur did not like him one bit. Still, he trusted them and didn’t wear his mask, showing off the little faded scars on his face.

Techno was quite glad that Dream did not wear his mask around him when they were alone, since the image still unsettled him.

Dream smiled with all of his teeth. “A duel. You know, we will be turning fifteen next year, so we will be able to enter the tournaments.” He spun his sword in his hand, a habit that Techno had caught onto and often did himself when he was alone. “I suppose that we should test out our strengths, y’know? See what we need to improve and stuff like that.”

Techno arched an eyebrow. “You just want to show off?” he translated to Tommy, who sat nearby, and who giggled at that.

“Yes.”

Techno sighed and stood up, dusting the dirt off of his pants, his ears flicking as those familiar indecipherable whispers became louder with an excited sounding tone. Dream was a good and strong opponent to go up against, so Technoblade couldn’t refuse. “Okay. Best to five?”

Dream nodded. “Best to five. Round ends when your sword gets knocked out of your hand or you get knocked down.”

Techno nodded as well, ushering Tommy away from the sand pit where they did their training. Tommy sat at the edge with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Get his ass, Technoblade!” Tommy shouted, earning the attention from Phil and Wilbur, who had been sitting on the porch. Phil had been mending a tear in a pair of Techno’s pants, since the boy refused to learn how to sew, and Wilbur was strumming his guitar mindlessly, no real strict tune to it.

The two boys stood at separate sides of the arena, their positions lowered into an attack stance, gripping the hilts of their swords. Techno tended to go straight for the offense, not caring about the cuts and bruises he would receive afterwards in a match, only focusing on defeating his enemy at the time. The wounds could be treated later, anyway The battle at hand was first priority, the priority to win. Dream knew that Techno was an offensive attacker, so he tended to lean more towards a defensive tactic.

Techno let out a breath, hearing Tommy shout a loud “ _ Go _ !” and then rushing forward with his sword lifted up to shoulder height, eyeing Dream’s stance. As he expected, Dream stepped out of the way and he quickly turned to extend his leg out and sweep Dream’s legs out from in front of him, which worked, and the boy fell to the ground. He almost hit his chin, but caught himself with his hands, meaning that he had to drop his sword in order to catch himself.

Techno stepped on his back to keep him down, counting to five in his head and then chuckling, stepping off and helping Dream off, who grumbled and brushed the dirt off of his knees and looked at Techno.

He still had a determined grin on his face. “You are sly.”

“Not sly, pretty predictable.” Techno hummed. “Just get good.”

At that, Dream rolled his eyes and went back to his side of the pit, raising his sword again and eyeing Techno. “I was just going easy on you, by the way.”

Techno laughed. “Yeah, sure.”

_ Blood for the Blood God. _

Tommy shouted again, and they were back at it, Techno rushing towards Dream again just as he did the first time. This time, Dream stood his ground and blocked Techno’s swing, using the advantage it gave him to jab at Techno, causing the pink-haired boy to stumble backwards awkwardly, almost falling, but caught himself. It would be embarrassing for him to lose so early.

_ Blood for the Blood God. _

Techno regained his balance just in time to parry Dream’s attack, using that advantage to switch his grip in his hand and stab Dream with the hilt of his sword. He fell backwards onto the ground and Techno readjusted his grip, hush and trembled slightly and raised his sword to stab him in the stomach, what would be a killing blow.

_ I don’t want to hurt my friend. _

__ _ Blood for the Blood God. _

Dream rolled out of the way just in time and stood up, using the same tactic that Techno had in the first round and sweeping his legs out from under him, causing Techno to fall to the ground with a thump and an “ouf!”.

Dream stepped on his back. “You’re dead! Just get good,” he repeated.

Techno got up and gave him a toothy grin, though he was still somewhat unsettled. The whispers seemed to be getting louder and louder, chanting in his head, the words becoming decipherable to him.

They want Dream dead.

Techno glanced down at the sword in his hand, and saw it covered in blood. Deep red and sticky blood, dripping off of the tip of the blade and onto the sand below his feet. Deep red blood that belonged to his friend, who had been nothing but kind to him.

He quickly threw the sword away from him to the other side of the pit and stared at his hands, looking for any trace of the blood, but they were clean, apart from calluses and dirt underneath his nails.

He stared and stared, as if his eyes could bore into his hands. Nothing. No blood. None at all.

“Are you okay?” Dream asked, putting a hand on Techno’s shoulder.

_ Blood for the Blood God. _

Techno looked up and swallowed. “Yeah. I just need a break,” he said cooly. “You should probably go home now.”

Dream frowned, glancing at Tommy, who sat with a neutral expression, surprisingly quiet, then nodded. “Okay. Yeah. See you soon?”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course.”

“Dream wants to know if you want to train with him on the north side of the forest here next week,” Wilbur said, settling down next to Techno by the fireplace. “He asked me at school today.”

Techno frowned. “Tell him…” he thought. “Jus’ tell him I’m sick. I need a breather for a bit--a while.”

Wilbur pat Techno’s back. “I’ll tell him. What are you reading now?”

Techno looked down at the heavy book in his hands. “Oh, just some Greek mythos. Phil picked it up at the library.”

“Do you mind if I join you?”

“‘Course not.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw-panic attacks

Technoblade was scared of growing up. Scared of getting older, more weaker and not having a use in the world. He wanted to make the most of his youth and be the best that he could, training for hours and hours until the sun went down and Phil came to fetch him. Still, he wanted more. He craved for more power. So did the voices, so did the Blood God.

Techno knew that growing up was inevitable. No matter how much he wanted to stay young and hold hands with his father and brothers, eventually, they would leave. Whether it be voluntary or for them to pass, their lives whisked away from them before they could live to their fullest, it was inevitable. 

He felt like he never had a chance to be a child. Never had the opportunity of youthful innocence that most children had.

All his life he had one goal in mind: survive.

The Nether hellscape he was born in wasn’t made for something who had human features and traits like he did. Even though he also had Piglin traits, he specifically wouldn't last his whole life in the Nether. He was lucky he survived as long as he did, before going to the Overworld.

Skeletons and Wither skeletons walking around, their bones clattering with each step that they took, knocking their bows or raising their swords whenever they spotted someone with one intention on their mind: blood. Hoglins were the same, spotting someone passing by and digging their hooves into the ground before charging with one intention on their mind: blood. Piglins were the same, in a sense. If you owned no gold, they would raise their swords as Wither skeletons did and march towards you with one intention on their mind: blood.

Techno was similar in a way. 

Bloodlust was something he was very familiar with.

Once he had come to the Overworld, he was much safer than he was in the Nether. He had a kind loving father that offered him a comfortable and warm home, a safe place from the scary world outside. His father protected him, keeping him well fed and supplying him with quilts to keep him warm once it got cold outside (which was especially terrible since they lived in a colder area and he had grown up in such a hot place). His father kept him company when he got lonely, hugging and holding him when he cried.

Techno just wished that he told the truth about who he was, instead of learning from his nightmare-ish “past self”, someone who wanted complete power and control. He had told Techno this throughout the years, taunting him for not being strong enough and demanding, demanding to take back the crown. The Blood God said it was his rightful crown but...he didn’t really believe so. No matter how many times the Blood God told him that they were the same, he wouldn’t give in to it. He wanted to be his own person…

Sometimes he wondered if he’d just give in, go to the palace and kill the Royal Family, then he’d be okay. The voices would quiet down and the Blood God would look at him with a satisfied smile on his face, tusks peeking out of his bottom lip and his scars contorting to the shift in facial expression.

Techno stood holding a pickaxe in hand as well as a bag on his back holding another pickaxe just in case his first one broke, and various types of food stored in containers, and water bottles sealed tightly so that they wouldn’t evaporate immediately in the Nether air. He also carried bundles of TNT and a flint and steel.

He had decided, after a long time of consideration, that he was going to travel back home.

It wasn’t going to be a long trip, hopefully only a few days, and it was only to try and find some Ancient Debris so he could make a netherite sword. Maybe even a pickaxe if he was lucky.

He was fifteen now, old enough to enter into the tournaments being held every week in the middle of town. Like a gladiator battle. 

Eret was king now, outlawing the hate crimes against hybrids and allowing them to walk around without hiding their identities. Of course, it didn’t stop all of them, that wasn’t possible, but whenever he went into town to buy groceries, he saw many other people like him walking around peacefully. Though, no one was exactly like him. He didn’t see anyone with Piglin origin.

He felt a bit safer travelling alone.

Techno stood up, checking the soles of his boots, then leaving his room and walking towards the front door.

Tommy, who was sitting at the fireplace with his school books scattered around him messily, writing in scratching hand writing, looked up. “Are you leaving already?”

“Yeah. Gotta get the stuff as soon as I can.”

Tommy hummed then pouted. “Okay Technoblade.”

Techno nodded then opened the door. “Phil already knows I’m goin’ out so you don’t have to tell him.”

“Okay Technoblade.”

“......bye, Tommy.”

“Bye.”

Techno opened the door and left without another word, stepping into the forest and immediately shivering. The cold winter air was something that he still wasn’t used to, and probably would never be used to. Although the snow was pretty when it was piled up, sparkling in the sunlight, it was far too cold.

Techno grumbled and stepped through the snow and into the forest. He hadn’t brought any layers with him, since it was only a short walk through the forest to get to the Nether portal they had built not too long ago, and the Nether was scorching hot.

He walked for a few minutes, teeth clicking together as he shuddered when another breath of cold air passed through the trees. The wind blew his hair in his face, just another distraction.

When he arrived, he checked his bag one last time. Sword? Check. Food? Check. Water? Check. Extra pickaxe? Check. TNT and flint and steel? Check. Armor? Already on him, enchanted with a protection spell, one specifically designed to help against fireball blasts from ghasts. At the front pocket of his back, there was a feather. A feather that had sat hidden in his drawers for years unless he needed it. He hoped he wouldn’t have to use it.

He let out a breath he realized he hadn’t been holding and looked into the deep purple haze of the portal, at the particles that drifted away, at the nauseating swirls. It was time. He hadn’t been back to his home ever since he had come to live with Phil.

It was...nerve wracking, although he didn’t want to admit it.

Techno squared his shoulders and stepped up to the portal, mentally preparing himself, then finally took a step in.

He felt a coldness, colder than the outside air, then a blast of hot air in his face and cringed. Instantly, he could tell the air was stuffier and harder to breath in, and a red haze filled his vision.

There was a sense of worry creeping up his spine and crawling around in his stomach as he looked around the barren landscape. It was dark, the only light sources being the fires scattered around, the lava lakes, and the shroomlights in the warped forests. 

The portal spawned over a lava lake, with a bridge built by Phil leading towards the mainland. The sides of the bridge were raised off, with fence posts at the top to prevent anyone from falling over the sides. Techno, being tall for his age, still had to get on his tip-toes to peek out over it, which he immediately regretted.

He stumbled back and clenched his fists, breathing in and out slowly. Breathing exercises helped him a lot. 

He ran his fingers through his hair, putting it up in a ponytail to try and keep it out of his face. 

Right. He was here for a reason, not to be terrified at every little thing.

He held his pickaxe tightly in his hand, so tightly that his knuckles turned white. 

Techno then began to walk along the bridge, his steps careful and calculated, as if one wrong step could send him tumbling downwards. He walked until he was off of the bridge, looking around and then down at the netherrack beneath his feet, which stained the bottom of his boots with a dusty red color. He’d have to walk for a while to get to a lower part before mining. So, he set down markers he had brought with him so he knew the way back.

He walked for an hour, setting down markers as he went, the pit in his stomach only growing bigger. He tried as best as he could to keep his breathing even and normal, trying not to let himself get too panicky or fidgety. He shouldn’t be this scared.

He avoided any mobs he saw, even Piglins, only focused on going lower and lower on the mainland, where Ancient Debris lay hidden between the rocks of netherrack and quartz. He gripped his pickaxe and trekked on forward, chipping away at the netherrack and making a apth downwards.

He mined on the lower levels for a long time, he didn’t know how long, using TNT and his pickaxe to search everywhere for the rare ore. Hopefully this trip would have been worth it. He would have asked Phil or Wilbur to come along with him, but they were busy more often than not now, and he would not last with Tomy in the Nether, and besides, Tommy liked to hang out with his best friend more than his older brother. 

Techno mined and mined, trying to keep his mind off of the bad thoughts trying to worm his way into his head, trying to ignore the formless whispers in the back of his head. Sometimes he could make out what they were saying.

_ Home! _ they screamed and shouted and excited murmur.

This wasn’t his home anymore.

Techno mined and mined, until his body was drenched in sweat and his hands were raw and calloused. His stomach gnawed with hunger, but he didn’t stop. He kept going, those whispers egging him to go further and further.

He mined and mined until his arms felt like jelly and until he had thrown up multiple times from the overexertion. He had found many pieces of Ancient Debris, storing them in his bag without another look and continuing to mine.

Eventually, he knew that he couldn’t go anymore and sat down in the midst of the fire around him, taking deep breaths and closing his eyes. Everything hurt, he was so hungry and thirsty.

He didn’t sit for very long, standing up and almost stumbling into the fire, then backtracked through the mine he had made and up to the surface. His vision was blurred, making it hard to see where it was going. He limped along, the nervousness coming back as he heard shrill cries of ghasts. 

Techno looked around, not seeing hkis markers anywhere around him and breathing quickly in and out, turning around to try and find them, wandering and stumbling around aimlessly. He came across a soul sand valley, which he didn’t remember passing through the first time and immediately plugged his ears, doubling over. 

Screams filled his head, so loud, so overwhelming. Everything was overwhelming. 

He stumbled backwards and away, whimpering pitifully. He ran as fast as he could, coughing and throwing up stomach acid onto the Nether floor, which evaporated quickly. 

He heard more screams and shrieks, this time not in his head and over above him. The ghasts had come closer to him and wanted him dead. Techno tripped over his feet and continued to run, his breathing too fast and too labored. The shrieks eventually faded into the distance, but Techno kept going, anxiety worming it’s way around his whole body.

He collapsed onto the floor and heaved in and out, gagging and throwing up once more. It was still stomach acid, as it had always been, since he had nothing else to throw up. He curled up to himself and hiccuped, tears springing to his eyes.

He felt like he was suffocating.

Techno reached into the front pocket of his bag, hands weak and shaking, pulling out the feather and remembering those years ago when Tommy had guided him through his panicked state.

_ Picture the feather. Picture the feather. _

He closed his eyes, picturing the feather in his mind.

_ Keep it afloat, not too high, not too low. Deep breaths in and out, in and out, in and out. _

He breathed in and out slowly, keeping the feather steady.

_ Steady. _

__ _ Steady. _

__ _ Steady. _

Techno hugged his knees to his chest and cried.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/sleepyza__)


End file.
